Top 10 Summer Safety Tips

  • Aug 18, 2010

“School’s out for summer” is music to every child’s ears. They’ve got three blissful months ahead of them to play with friends, hang out at the pool, and enjoy picnics and barbeques with their families. But what’s NOT music to moms’ ears is learning that more than 2.7 million kids visit the ER every summer from accidents in or around the home. This summer, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading product safety testing organization, is providing useful tips to help families stay safe while they have fun in the sun.

Grilling Safety
1. Keep grills at a safe distance from any structure. Grilling mishaps cause more than 8,300 fires and send 3,000 people to the emergency room each year. Never grill indoors or near garages or porches, even if it’s raining.
2. Never leave the grill unattended, especially when young children or pets are nearby.
3. Have a spray bottle or fire extinguisher close to the grill to put out the fire, should one occur.

Pool Safety
4. If you have a pool at home, install a fence. The fence should be at least four-feet high and have a self-closing, self-latching gate that has a locking mechanism beyond a child’s reach.
5. Supervision is a must. Follow the 10/20 rule when you’re at the pool. The 10/20 rule states the supervising adult needs to position themselves to be able to scan the pool within 10 seconds and reach the water within 20 seconds
6. Flotation devices, toys and inflatable swimming aids are not safety devices. They are toys and can easily puncture and deflate.
7. Empty small wading pools after children are done playing and remove all toys. Infants can drown in just a few inches of water. Pool toys may attract children to the pool when it is unattended.

Playground Safety
8. Carefully inspect backyard playground equipment. Make sure equipment is anchored safely in the ground, all equipment pieces are in good working order, S-hooks are entirely closed, and bolts are not protruding.
9. Check for spaces that could trap children like openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs. These spaces should measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
10. Install protective surfacing, such as rubber tiles or mulch under the play set, at least six feet in all directions, to prevent serious injuries should a child fall.

 

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