Water Butt Safety Lid

Harcostar Child Safety Lid For Water Containers

Remember our previous article about water butt safety? Well, we have found a product that can help you keep children safe and stop them falling into any water butt.

Manufacturer’s Description
The child safety lid can be fitted to all water butts that have a diameter of 380-385mm. It helps give peace of mind when storing rain water and will also prevent pets and wildlife from displacing the lid too.

The Harcostar water storage system is manufactured in the United Kingdom using recycled material for all their containers. All accessories are designed to be fitted easily to the new water storage containers.

Electric Socket Covers

These sturdy plastic Electric Socket Covers are so easy to fit, and once in place they will prevent grandchildren gaining access to the electric sockets in your home. They also secure your essential appliances such as fridges, freezers and computers from being switched off or unplugged either accidentally or mischievously.

Simple Security at Home
There’s no need for an electrician: all you need to do is fit the Electric Socket Cover over your double wall socket – just loosen the screws, slide the cover into place, and tighten the screws up again. The spring loaded front will flip open when you turn the key, giving you access to your plugs, then clicks shut to lock.

• Easy to fit
• Comes with 2 keys
• Fits double socket
• Strong construction
• 2 Year guarantee

Availble at: http://www.50plushealth.co.uk/index.cfm

Child Safety Blanking Plugs

These are designed to protect young children from inserting their fingers in to live 240 volt plug sockets, these blanking plugs are a must for any conscientious parent or guardian. The blanking plugs sit securely in the socket to make it difficult for young children to pull them out, yet not so tight as to prevent access to the socket by adult hands.

UKayed Safety plug protectors 10 pack- protects childrens fingers from plug sockets £1.99

WA45 UK safety plugs, set of 5 – blister £3.49

Garden – Water Butt Safety

With an ever increasing awareness to conserving water, please be careful with your garden bins and any water butts that you use. It has been the case that children have fallen into these types of bins. Children have drowned in containers with just inches of water in them.

Place your water butts on stands out of reach of children and don’t forget to place heavy weighted covers onto the top of the containers to prevent children from opening them.

Poor v’s Rich – Children’s Accidents

Two million children a year visit A&E because they have been hurt in an accident, and not enough has been done to tackle the problem, which is thought to cost the NHS £149m a year.

A report, produced with the Healthcare Commission, had found “shocking” inequalities in rates of accidents in children from poor families.

Injuries such as those caused by burns, falling down the stairs and poisoning are a leading cause of death and illness in those aged one to 14 years old. In recent years the number of deaths from accidents in children has fallen, according to the report.

However, inequalities between the poorest and more affluent families are widening. In 1999 the government set a target to reduce the death rates from accidents (in all age groups) by at least one fifth and to reduce the rate of serious injury from accidents by at least one tenth by 2010.

Why do children have accidents?

Because children are often absorbed in their own immediate interests they can be oblivious to their surroundings. They only have a limited perception of the environment because of their lack of experience or development. They are not aware of the consequences of the many new situations that they encounter daily.

 

Small Stature
This may prevent a child from seeing above an obstruction or being seen by an adult.

 

Inquisitiveness
Curiosity and a spirit of adventure may lead a child into danger.

 

Bravado and Horseplay
Boys are particularly prone to showing off and over reaching their abilities, especially among friends. Many accidents are caused by horseplay involving pushing, shoving and wrestling.

 

Stress
Tensions at home and emotional upsets caused by temper, jealousy and over excitement may cause a child to run blindly into danger. Such action may even be deliberate to seek attention.

 

Inexperience
A child’s interpretation of a situation may be inaccurate and adults looking after small children should be aware not to expect too much of them.

 

Inadequate supervision

Children need constant supervision. Medicines, pills and toxic substances should be locked away and fires and stairs should be guarded.

Falls

Around 10 children die as a result of falls each year – some from windows and balconies and the remainder mostly from stairs.

Falls are by far the most common causes of accidents in the home ; they account for 44% of all children’s accidents.

Most falls involve tripping over on the same level. However, the most serious consequences result from falls between two levels, such as falling out of a pram or highchair or falling from a bed. The worst injuries are sustained when a child falls from a great height or lands on something hard, sharp or hot.

Many accidents are caused by horseplay involving pushing, shoving and wrestling. Children have also died or have been seriously injured by heavy objects such as furniture and televisions being pushed or pulled over them. Sets of drawers, in a child’s eyes, make ideal climbing frames but, if unsecured, they pull over easily.

Poisoning

 

Most poisoning accidents involve medicines, household products and cosmetics. Some poisoning agents can cause breathing difficulties – seek medical attention immediately.

Over 28,000 children receive treatment for poisoning, or suspected poisoning accidents every year. ³

Prevention

• Keep medicines and chemicals out of sight and reach of children, preferably in a locked cupboard.
• Wherever possible, buy products in child resistant containers.
• Always store chemicals in their original containers.
• Dispose of unwanted medicines and chemicals safely.
• Avoid buying plants with poisonous leaves or berries or those that can irritate the skin

Suffocating and choking

Children can swallow, inhale or choke on items such as small toys, peanuts and marbles.

• Choose toys appropriate to the age of the child.
• Ensure that small objects such as marbles and peanuts and small toys are kept out of reach of children under 3 years old.
• Encourage older children to keep their toys away from their younger playmates.
• Pull cords on curtains and blinds should be kept short and kept out of reach.
• Keep animals, especially cats, out of the bedroom and use a net on a pram.

Scalds and Burns

Many of the children who go to Accident and Emergency with a burn or a scald are referred on for further hospital treatment. Recovery may be long and painful and many are left with permanent scarring.

Hot drinks cause most scalds to children under the age of 5. A child’s skin is much more sensitive than an adult’s and a hot drink can still scald a child 15 minutes after being made. Young children are also very vulnerable to sunburn.

Hot bath water is responsible for the highest number of fatal and severe scalding injuries among young children. Around 500 children, mainly under fives, are admitted to hospital and a further 2000 attend A and E departments every year as a result of bath water scalds.

Children can also suffer burns after contact with open fires, a cooker, irons, curling tongs and hair straighteners, cigarettes, matches, cigarette lighters and many other hot surfaces.

Prevention

• Never hold a hot drink and a child at the same time.
• Never leave young children alone in the bathroom.
• Put hot drinks out of reach and away from the edges of tables and worktops.
• Encourage the use of a coiled flex or a cordless kettle.
• Keep small children out of the kitchen whenever possible.
• Run the domestic hot water system at 46°C or fit a thermostatic mixing valve to taps.
• When running a bath turn the cold water on first and always test the water temperature with your elbow before letting a child get into the bath or shower.
• Always use rear hotplates and turn the panhandles away from the front of the cooker.
• Keep hot irons, curling tongs and hair straighteners out of reach even when cooling down.