Families in North Yorkshire are being urged to take action and protect their children from the risks of household cleaning products.
Families in North Yorkshire are being urged to take action and protect their children from the risks of household cleaning products. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has launched a campaign to protect children from accidental poisonings by offering advice and raising awareness of the issue. In North Yorkshire, accidental poisonings accounted for 175 emergency admissions for 0-4-year-olds between 2017/18 and 2019/20. And the Take Action Today, Put Them Away campaign, funded by the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKCPI), is being launched today (Wednesday) after its success in 23 areas of the UK. As part of the campaign, a handy magnetic notepad featuring key safety advice will be handed out to thousands of families by health visitors and children’s centre staff. Ashley Martin, RoSPA’s public health adviser, said:
“The notepad acts as a constant reminder in family kitchens to store cleaning products out of reach, out of sight and in a locked cupboard. “Due to their inquisitive nature, children under the age of five are most at risk of accidentally swallowing or getting household cleaning products, like liquid laundry capsules, into their eyes. Even products with a child-resistant closure cannot guarantee safety - they only reduce the risk by delaying access to the product.”The scheme has aided 400,000 families across the UK in preventing poisonings and eye injuries. Philip Malpass, from the industry’s trade body, the UKCPI, said:
"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 whilst the severity of the injuries are generally low, we hope that this campaign will remind parents to follow the usage instructions on the packaging, and in so doing, avoid unnecessary accidents.” "It is heart breaking when you see the damage that cleaning products can do. "It only takes a matter of seconds for a child to have an accident with a cleaning product which could prove fatal or affect them for the rest of their lives. It is important that parents heed this advice and store these products safely and out of reach of their little ones."Take action today, put them away advice to parents includes: Store household cleaning products out of reach of children, preferably in a locked cupboard Always store chemicals in their original containers Never pierce or break laundry capsules or tablets Always close the lid of any product In the event of an incident, follow advice on the product pack and seek medical attention. UKCPI is the leading trade association representing UK producers of cleaning and hygiene products. Further information on the Take Action Today campaign can be found at www.rospa.com. For more details about the UKCPI, visit www.ukcpi.org Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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