IMPORTANT MESSAGES ABOUT CHILD SAFETY in the home are at the centre of a national public awareness campaign this week.
Sunderland City Council’s Trading Standards team are part of the regional partnership raising awareness of potential hazards within the home and the advice and training available to guard against them.
The four household items causing possible dangers to children being highlighted are;
- blind cords
- nappy sacks
- ‘button’ type watch batteries
- liquitab washing liquid
All four are commonly found domestic items which are perfectly safe if used properly, but have caused accidental deaths and serious injuries to babies and children left unattended.
There has been a number of children killed when they have been caught up and strangled in cords to household window blinds, or suffocated when they have put nappy sacks over their heads.
The smaller, watch type batteries been also been swallowed and choked children while the small liquitab sachets of washing detergent liquid have been mistaken as juice and drunk causing serious internal injuries.
Funding from the North East Trading Standards Association (NETSA) has provided posters and information material on display across the community at schools, children’s centres, libraries, contact centres and supermarkets to raise awareness of the dangers.
Through NETSA Sunderland City Council’s Trading Standards team is also organising training for health visitors and other health professionals working with children and young people.
It is provided the regional child safety charity ‘Whoops’ based in Gateshead.
As part of this a free ‘Preventing Accidents at Home’ half-day training event is being held at Farringdon Community Fire Station on Wednesday June 25, 9.30am -12.30pm
Portfolio Holder for City Services, Councillor Michael Mordey said: Accidents at home are still the biggest killer of babies and children under five, which is even more tragic when you consider that the risks are avoidable
if we are all just a little more careful and diligent around the home.
All household products are perfectly safe when used in the right way, but potential hazards for our children if we aren’t careful.
Working together we want to alert people to the possible dangers within the home, and reduce the potential risks and number of children killed or injured in accidents at home.
More information is available at http://www.childsafetyweek.org.uk/resources/secret-stuff
