Homeowners
Child-Proof Your Home
Every year, thousands of children are injured needlessly in preventable home accidents. You can make your home a safer place by following these simple steps:
- If your child is under age three, turn a yardstick on end to create an imaginary line around your house, yard and garage; everything below the yard mark should be child-safe.
- Purchase plastic safety plugs to reduce shock hazard of electrical outlets.
- Store all household chemicals out of the reach of children. This includes detergents, cleaning products and cosmetics, as well as commonly recognized hazards such as medicines, pest killers and liquid fuel.
- Keep household chemicals, including cleaning products, in their original packages. Don't store them in cups, soft-drink bottles, cans or bowls that children associate with eating and drinking.
- To protect your child from scalds, reduce the temperature of your hot water to between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit by turning down the control of your water heater.
- Always turn pot handles away from the edge of the range.
- Install nylon netting across deck, porch and balcony railings to prevent kids from squeezing through or getting trapped.
- Since windows may be opened or merely screened, install steel window guards inside the frames to prevent falls.
- Keep adult sporting goods, such as archery sets, dart sets and hunting knives, in locked cabinets.
- Store guns unloaded and locked up, out of reach. Store ammunition in a separate locked location.
- Install bump guards on furniture and appliances that have sharp edges.
- Check to see if your household and garden plants are poisonous. Ask your physician or poison control center.
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