How to protect children from household cleaning products

FAMILIES in Warrington are being urged by the Royal Society for the Prevention Accidents (RoSPA) to take action to protect their children from the risks of household cleaning products.
RoSPA is teaming up with Bridgewater Community Healthcare Foundation Trust on the latest phase of the Take Action Today campaign, which is supported by Fairy.
This follows the scheme’s success in Birmingham, Liverpool, and other areas across the UK, where over 400,000 families have been helped to prevent poisoning and eye injuries.
In Warrington, accidental poisonings accounted for 40 emergency admissions for 0- 4-year-olds between 2016/17 and 2018/19.
As part of the campaign, a handy magnetic notepad featuring key safety advice will be handed out to about 2,000 families, by public health nurses and health visitors.
Ashley Martin, RoSPA’s public health adviser, said: “The notepad acts as a constant reminder in family kitchens to store cleaning products out of reach, out of sight and in a locked cupboard.
“Due to their inquisitive nature, children under the age of five are most at risk of accidentally swallowing or getting household cleaning products, like liquid laundry capsules, into their eyes. Even products with a child-resistant closure cannot guarantee safety – they only reduce the risk by delaying access to the product.”
Wendy Gardener, 0-19 practice development lead for Bridgewater, Warrington, said: “We are delighted to be working with RoSPA on this initiative, especially at times like this when families and children are spending much more time at home. Children by their very nature want to explore their surroundings, and taste and touch are part of the way they do this, without understanding the danger. By building our families’ knowledge of these dangers we will hopefully reduce the incidence of Warrington children suffering from accidental poisoning.”
Advice to parents includes:
• Store household cleaning products out of reach of children, preferably in a locked cupboard
• Always store chemicals in their original containers
• Never pierce or break laundry capsules or tablets
• Always close the lid of any product
• In the event of an incident, follow advice on the product pack and seek medical attention.
Further information on the Take Action Today campaign can be found at www.rospa.com/take-action-today-nw