Is your home office safe for your children?
In my earlier post, I had written about how Clayton had 'turned' my home office into a war zone. As I look for ways to overcome this frustration, I am prompted to share about child safety in the home office. If you are one of those who are working from home (full or part-time) have you considered if your home office is safe for little children?
In a survey, the leading cause of death in children and adolescents is injuries, the majority of which happen in the home. It is important to take simple measures to reduce the presence of certain risk factors which can reduce the number of childhood injuries and deaths. Here are some suggestions:
1) Get on the ground
Get down on your hands and knees to check the potential dangers from the kid’s view. Things to look out for:
• Small objects that could harm or choke.
• Be careful of fallen objects such as thumb tacks, paper clips, rubber bands and the oft-errant staple. Keep these away from the reach of little hands.
2) Supervision is key
Do not leave your child alone in your work area without any adult present. One of the best ways to keep children safe in a home office is proper supervision.
If possible, play your child in a playpen or play yard, being sure to check height and weight limits. If your child is too big for the playpen, be sure that the children's play area is in sight as you work, and away from anything that could harm them; i.e., wires or heavy equipment.
3) Electrical dangers
Always check your electrical cords and install outlet covers and plates to help prevent electrical shock or electrocution. If any are worn or cracked, replace with new ones. A surge protector with an on-off switchis helpful, so you can quickly turn off the source of power.
4) Secure heavy objects or movable parts
Large heavy office equipment should be secured and out of reach of children to avoid potential dangerous tip-overs. Attach and anchor any shelving units to the walls. Put child safety latches on drawers to keep curious children away.
Keep file cabinet drawers closed when not in use.If possible, locked them. A left-open drawer or drawers in the hands of a child can lead to an entire file cabinet being tipped or pulled down. Do not put all files in the top drawer of a file cabinet, as top- heavy drawers increase the risk of a falling cabinet when that drawer is opened.
5) Consider purchasing office products with safety features
Buy office supplies and products that are designed for safety:
Shredders: The damage that a shredder can do to a small child is heartbreaking. Too many children have had fingers caught in the blades as well, some with permanent loss of one or more digits.
Do not ever allow a child to operate a shredder, even with adult supervision (serious injury has occurred under adult supervision). Never leave a shredder on automatic, and unplug when not in use.
Scissors: Scissor blades are often very sharp and can cut little fingers. Keep them out of reach!
Letter Openers: Too often letter openers look like and can act as daggers. These should be avoided in the home office.
Overall, try to reduce or eliminate sharp objects or small heavy objects in your home office. If you do have any sharp objects, keep these stored in a drawer with a safety latch or out of reach. Small heavy objects like paperweights need to be kept away from the edge of desks or other places where children could reach and cause injury to themselves .
6) Give your kids their own "office supplies"
If you are the sole caregiver of your child (like me!) encourage your children to feel like they can "work" right alongside you. Get a box and fill it with kid-friendly office supplies like paper, non-toxic and washable crayons and markers, a toy telephone, or toy cash register. This is what I'll be working on!
With their own fun office supplies, hopefully your children will have little or no interest in yours.
Related posts:
Hi, I am an employee of Fellowes, one of the largest manufacturers of paper shredders.
Recently we designed an entire line of shredders that have a patented Safe Sense Technology. This feature is designed to turn the shredder off should hands get too close to the paper entry throat.
With paper shredders becoming more common in the home where children and pets are more vulnerable to accidents, this feature adds an extra layer of protection that has not previously been available.
For more information, and to view a Safe Sense Demo, please visit our website at http://www.fellowes.com
March 28th, 2007 at 1:30 pm