Published Friday 10 May 2019 at 10:15
Families in Blackburn with Darwen are being urged to take action to protect their children from the risks of household cleaning products, as a new campaign launches in the borough from today, Friday May 10th.
The ‘Take Action Today, Put Them Away’ campaign is being led by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and supported by Blackburn with Darwen Council.
It aims to raise awareness of the importance of keeping small children safe by following this advice:
- 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.
In Blackburn with Darwen accidental poisonings accounted for 79 emergency admissions between 2014/15 – 2016/17 and nationally 16,000 0-4 year olds are admitted to hospital overnight each year for accidental poisonings from medications and household products.
A launch event for the campaign is taking place today at Livesey Children’s Centre – where local authority, NHS and RoSPA reps are coming together to discuss this key issue.
Councillor Maureen Bateson, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:
Young children are incredibly curious as they develop through exploring their environment and learning new things. For that reason it’s vital to follow the simple steps and make your home safe for them to do so. That includes taking action on how you deal with household cleaning products. The RoSPA campaign is a great way to raise awareness of this vitally important issue.
Filed under : Councillor Maureen Bateson | home safety | RoSPA