Caregiver sentenced for negligence after a toothbrush lodged in a toddler’s throat caused injury
In Singapore, a 24-year-old foreign domestic worker, Chi Nar Paw Tan, has been sentenced to eight weeks in jail for her negligence that led to a two-year-old child swallowing a toothbrush. The incident occurred on December 27, 2020, while Tan was bathing the child at the family’s flat in Ang Mo Kio.
Tan, who had been working for the family for four years, was holding the toothbrush in her left hand while using her right hand to soap the child’s body. During a brief moment when Tan turned to retrieve the showerhead, the child somehow managed to swallow the toothbrush. The boy began to cry in pain, and the toothbrush handle was seen protruding from his mouth. The child also vomited blood.
The boy’s mother, hearing the screams, immediately contacted an ambulance. Tan was charged with a negligent act resulting in injury after the court determined that she failed to remove the toothbrush from the child’s mouth while he was under her supervision. The incident led to a sentence of eight weeks in jail for the domestic helper.
This case serves as a reminder of the critical need for constant supervision when handling young children, particularly during activities like bathing.
