SAFETY

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents explains how you can help keep children safe from accidents by sharing their campaign messaging

What is the problem?
Over the last 10 years, the Royal Sociey for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has been working with the UK Cleaning Products Industry (UKCPI) to deliver the Take Action Today, Put Them Away campaign. The campaign was launched to help reduce the number of children under five that are accidentally poisoned by household products in 29 areas across the UK including Birmingham, Liverpool, Coventry and Nottingham.

Ashley Martin, public health advisor at RoSPA, explains: “Due to their inquisitive nature, children under the age of five are most at risk of accidentally swallowing or getting household products, such as liquid laundry capsules, into their eyes. Even products with a child-resistant closure cannot guarantee safety – they only reduce the risk of an accident by delaying a child’s access to the product.”

Many families will already be all too aware of the injury, distress and misery that can result from a child ingesting a household cleaning product or medication. Sadly, thousands of children end up in hospital each year because of these incidents.
Most accidental poisonings happen to children under five-years-old, with children aged between one- and three-years-old being most at risk. On average, 15 children under 5 are admitted to hospital each day due to suspected poisoning. Children from the poorest families are three times more likely to be admitted to hospital due to an accident than their peers, including for accidental poisoning.

Why are young children more likely to be poisoned?
Exploring is a part of growing up but very young children have little concept of potential dangers. They are inquisitive and often put things in their mouths to further explore their texture and taste.

Children also like to watch and copy what others do. Unfortunately, this includes copying adults using potentially dangerous items like household products and medication. Small children may mistake liquid capsule washing machine and dishwasher tablets for toys or sweets. These are not only dangerous if swallowed but can also cause serious eye irritation, which can result in long-term damage.

Philip Malpass, director general at the UKCPI, explains: “Cleaning products are designed to be safe to use and to provide the clean and hygienic home we often take for granted today. The accidents we see involving young children and cleaning products are avoidable and while the severity of the injuries sustained is generally low, we hope that this campaign will remind parents to follow the usage instructions on product packaging and, in doing so, avoid unnecessary accidents.”

How is RoSPA tackling this problem?
So far, the Take Action Today, Put Them Away campaign has reached around 500,000 families. They have all received safety advice from RoSPA including a magnetic fridge pad reminding them of the advice on preventing poisoning in the home, as well as factsheets, checklists and briefing notes.

The impact of the programme is measured through a mix of feedback from families on how the scheme has increased their awareness of the issue and changed how they store household products, as well as data on hospital admissions and attendances where available.

How to keep children safe from household products

• Store household cleaning products out of reach of children, preferably in a locked cupboard.
• Remember that nothing is 100% ‘childproof’ – packaging usually just delays a child’s access to the product. Children need to be supervised in the home when adults are using cleaning products.
• Always store chemicals in their original containers.
• Never pierce or break laundry/dishwasher capsules or tablets.
• Always close the lid of any product after use.
• In the event of an incident, follow advice on the product packaging and seek medical attention as soon as possible.