Stay safe at home now spring has sprung
Tue, April 10, 2018
Now that spring has sprung and thoughts turn to freshening up our homes, it’s an opportunity to think more about the furniture we are cleaning. Are large items like bookcases, chests of drawers, wardrobes and flat screen TVs secure?
Could a child trying to reach something or climbing cause it to topple over and crush them? Is the furniture overloaded making it top heavy?
These tips can help to make your home a safer place:
- Distribute items stored in or on furniture like book cases or chests of drawers, keeping heavier items lower down.
- Ensure that tall, heavy furniture is secured to the wall with a bracket or tether meaning that they cannot topple over.
- TV straps can be fixed to the back of the TV with the other end screwed to the wall so that it cannot fall if it is accidentally bumped into.
- When reaching up to dust the top of tall furniture and curtain rails for example, ensure that you are working on a stable platform to avoid falls.
- Use a securely located step ladder rather than climbing on chairs to reach up high.
- When using cleaning chemicals around the home follow the instructions carefully and make sure children cannot reach them.When finished, ensure that all cleaning chemicals are stored away out of reach of children in a high up locked cupboard along with all other ‘everyday use’ chemicals such as bleach, disinfectants, dishwasher/washing machine liquitabs and powders.
- Never decant chemicals into other containers, keep them in their original packaging to avoid accidental misuse and so they can be identified easily and the correct safety advice and instructions are always available.
Now may also be a good time to check medicine boxes or cupboards for out of date medicines and prescriptions that are no longer needed. These should be disposed of by taking them to your local pharmacy.
For more information on Home Safety contact Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Environmental Health team on 028 7776 0302 or Ballymoney 028 2766 0257. You can also Email environmentalhealth@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk