| Garden Safety (see also Fire Safety, First Aid, Home Safety, Plant Poison) See also the Childproofing section on this site (Home Page) Every year, over 125,000 children are seriously injured in the garden. • Make sure your garden is secure and that fences, walls and gates are doing their job. • Fence off or fill in garden ponds. Empty paddling pools after use and store them deflated or upside down – children can drown in rainwater that collects after a shower. Never leave a child under 8 years old alone in or near water. • Swings and climbing frames should be securely fixed and well maintained. Don’t put them on hard surfaces or near glass greenhouses or near plants with thorns, holly etc. Make sure there is plenty of room to walk around swings. • BBQs can be a major hazard. Never leave them unattended when children are around. Lit BBQs give off carbon monoxide so should never be used indoors. • Broken or uneven bricks or slabs on pathways cause thousands of accidents each year. Keep them well maintained. • Lock away hazards such as chemicals, sharp tools and electrical equipment when not in use. • Unplug electrical equipment when not in use. Never use it in the wet and keep it in good repair. Fitting an RCD (residual current device) could save a life. • Make sure you know which plants in your garden are poisonous and keep them out of reach of young children or better still uproot them • Teach your child NEVER to eat anything they find in the garden especially any plants • Clean up after pets For further information contact: www.childalert.co.uk does not take responsibility or liability for any loss damage costs claim or expense arising as a result of relying on information contained on this web site. The advice given is based on recommendations from independent experts. |