safety - outdoor & water safety
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The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia - known as Kidsafe - is a nationwide non-profit organisation which seeks to educate and inform Australians about child safety. Kidsafe House is an excellent place to start when considering how to make your outdoor environment as safe as possible for your children.

If you'd like to visit a local Kidsafe centre for more information and advice, click here for national contact details.

Once you've made your environment as safe as possible, make sure that other carers follow your good practices.

Here are some general pointers for outdoor safety, please note that this list is not exhaustive and is intended as a guide only.

water & swimming pools

  • remove areas where water can collect; a child can drown in as little as 5cms of water
    eg buckets, child's play pools, empty planters, toys, etc
  • take care with fountains and ponds, install covers or guards
  • never leave children alone around water
  • pools should be fully enclosed with a well-maintained fence which meets current legislation
  • the fence should have a well maintained self-closing, self-latching entry gate which should never be propped open
  • make sure that a child couldn't climb the fence
  • keep any furniture that a child could use to climb away from the fence
  • supervise children at all times
  • know basic resuscitation & have a chart near the swimming pool to remind you


click to read newsletter article

Helping your Family Stay Water Safe


more info


street access

  • make sure that play areas are securely fenced off from drive-ways and street access


plants & insects

  • check your garden for poisonous plants
  • protect your child against insects & wildlife (use barriers such as screens or pram covers or insect repellant lotions)
  • The Queensland Poisons Information Centre website has information on poisonous plants and insects


garden shed / exterior laundry

  • keep garden sheds, garages and laundries locked
  • keep dangerous substances locked and out of reach
  • if possible, buy substances in child resistant containers
  • don't transfer substances to other containers, eg fizzy drink bottles
  • treat laundry detergents as other hazardous substances
  • keep garden tools, household tools and electrical tools out of reach


barbeque

  • erect a barrier around the barbeque to prevent children from getting near hot surfaces or playing with gas bottles
  • keep items that children could use to climb to reach hot surfaces away from the barbeque when in use
  • supervise children at all times around barbeques


deck railings

  • railings should be at least 1m high
  • railings should be well maintained with no gaps and with vertical slats to deter climbing
  • keep moveable items that children could use to climb away from railings


sun


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