As a parent, you will undoubtedly do everything you can to keep your children safe at home. While this might involve installing smoke alarms and locks on your doors and windows and ensuring your electrical wiring is up to Australian standards, it is easy to overlook some other potential dangers. One of them is the hazardous materials that can be found in the home.
These materials and substances typically come in the form of everyday household items, which, although they do serve an important purpose, can pose serious risks to children who might not be aware of their dangers.
But what are they? And more importantly, how can you minimise the potential risks they pose?
This parent’s guide to safely storing hazardous materials at home provides a more detailed explanation.
What do we mean by hazardous materials?
It might shock you to discover that most homes in Australia contain hazardous materials in the form of cleaning products like bleach, detergents, and disinfectants.
In addition, cosmetics and personal care products like mouthwash, nail polish remover and hair dyes can also be considered hazardous. As can gardening and automotive supplies like fertilisers, pesticides, antifreeze, and motor oil.
Moreover, prescription and over-the-counter medications, along with batteries, can be categorised in this way. Then, of course, there are petrol and other mixtures such as paints, varnish, solvents, kerosene, and methanol that can be used for various purposes, including DIY and art.
Collectively, these materials are dangerous because they can be highly toxic and/or combustible. If ingested or when exposed to ignition sources, they may result in significant illness, injury or even death.
How to safely store hazardous materials at home
If you have any of these hazardous materials in your household, you should take proper steps to ensure your family is well protected from their dangers. Here are six steps to safely storing hazardous materials in the home.
1. Use childproof storage solutions
One of the most effective ways to prevent children from coming into contact with hazardous materials is to use childproof locks and containers.
For combustible substances, flammable cabinets offer very effective protection against explosions, chemical spills, fires, and the release of incendiary vapours. They also come in various sizes and shapes to fit in with the dimensions of your floor spaces.
In addition to these cabinets, you should store other materials on high shelves that are out of reach for younger children. Just make sure they can’t be accessed by climbing on other furniture.
For further protection, it is a good idea to install childproof locks on cabinets and drawers that contain hazardous materals.
2. Create zones
Another great way to protect children from the risks these hazardous materials pose is to create specific zones within your home where they will be stored. For instance, all medications can be housed in one cabinet in the bathroom, cleaning supplies can stay in one area of the laundry room, and flammable substances can reside in the garage or garden shed.
Ultimately, localising them in this way makes them easier to manage and safeguard overall by reducing the number of places within your property where issues could arise.
Additionally, storing different types of hazardous materials separately can help avoid the consequences of serious chemical reactions.
3. Put up warning signs
Once you have created separate zones to store your hazardous materials, you should also put up signs around them that warn of their potential dangers.
These signs need to be easy to read and understand, and most importantly, they must be highly visible at both child and adult heights.
You should also keep products in their original packaging, which includes safety instructions and warning labels, where possible.
4. Educate your children as to the dangers
One of the most effective ways to protect your children from potential threats from hazardous materials in your home is to educate them about their dangers.
Obviously, younger toddlers will require physical barriers to prevent access to them. However, you can teach older kids to protect themselves by advising them of what might happen if they touch, ingest or expose these substances to a naked flame.
You don’t want to scare them or forbid them from going near them in a way that a natural child’s curiosity would make them do the opposite. But you do want them to be able to recognise the dangers they pose, both to themselves, the rest of the family, and the household.
Don’t be afraid to use technology to help you do that.
5. Dispose of what you no longer need
It is amazing how many highly toxic or flammable solutions we have around the house that we do not currently require.
While it is tempting to keep them until such time as you may need to use them again, you should also consider completely removing them from your home. Doing this will reduce the potential for accidents, injury or catastrophic events.
If you do choose to dispose of these hazardous materials, it is important to do this responsibly and in an environmentally friendly way.
6. Have an emergency plan in place
Lastly, despite the best-laid plans, accidents can happen. So, it’s essential to be prepared.
Ensure you have a fire evacuation plan in place should any flammable materials like petrol ignite.
Additionally, have a good range of first aid supplies on hand that will effectively treat accidental exposure to hazardous materials until you can seek professional medical attention.
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