WIREDGOV

Hampshire families are being urged by the Royal Society for the Prevention Accidents (RoSPA) to take action to protect their children from the risks of household cleaning products during Family Safety Week.

The latest leg of the Take Action Today, Put Them Away campaign, funded by the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKCPI), is being launched today at The United Church, Jewry Street in Winchester.

This follows the scheme’s success in Birmingham, Liverpool, King’s Lynn, Nottingham and Bradford, where 240,000 families have been helped to prevent poisoning and eye injuries.

RoSPA is focusing on Hampshire as data shows that during 2014-15, 120 children under the age of five attended A&E from the 11 local authority districts covered by Hampshire County Council as a result of accidental poisoning, which includes cases involving household cleaning products. Sixty per cent of these were in the 2-4 age group.

As part of the campaign, a handy magnetic notepad featuring key safety advice will be handed out to at least 40,000 families through the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, via public health nurses, health visitors, children’s centres and parent and toddler groups.

Sheila Merrill, 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.”

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.”

Liz Taylor, associate director of nursing and AHP – Children and Families Services at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are very lucky to be working with RoSPA and joining their campaign to promote awareness of accidents.

“Within the trust we have been working closely with parents at all contacts of the Healthy Child Programme, and in particular one and two-year child health reviews to explore prevention of accidents such as locking away hazardous substances such as batteries or dishwasher tablets. We have received great feedback from parents who have said they have changed safety practices within the home after a contact with their health visiting team.”

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 from household soaps, washing powders, liquids, disinfectants, air care and polishes to the professional cleaning and hygiene products used in industrial and institutional applications.

It provides advice and guidance to manufacturers, distributors and users of cleaning and hygiene products. UKCPI also works in partnership with policymakers, the public and the media, to inform public discussions about cleanliness, hygiene and sustainable cleaning.

Family Safety Week was set up by RoSPA in a bid to help millions of people protect their loved ones from accidents – the number one cause of early preventable death.

The event, which has the theme of under-fives in the home, ran until Friday, March 11. Other themes during the Week included falls, burns and scalds and poisonings. Advice and information is available at www.familysafetyweek.org.uk.

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.