Posted by Charlotte Salter, on November 1, 2022.
The latest phase of the Take Action Today, Put Them Away home safety campaign, which urges families to take action to use and store household cleaning products safely, was launched in Staffordshire on Monday 31st October 2022.
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.
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.
Funded by the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKCPI) and run in partnership with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the scheme has seen success in 29 areas of the UK including Birmingham, Liverpool, King’s Lynn, Nottingham, Newcastle, Bradford, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and Northern Ireland where 500,000 families have been helped to prevent poisoning and eye injuries.
In Staffordshire, accidental poisonings accounted for 160 emergency admissions for 0 – 4-year-olds between 2018/19- 2020/21.
We hope that this campaign will remind parents to follow the usage instructions on the packaging, and in so doing, avoid unnecessary accidents.
Philip Malpass, Director General of 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.”
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.”
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s (MPFT) Families Health and Wellbeing Service’s Health Visitors and School Nurses support 0-19-year-olds and their families in Staffordshire and will be coordinating the event and leading the campaign.
Kate Cox, Head of Universal Children’s Services for MPFT, said: “We’re delighted to be working with RoSPA on the Take Action Today, Put Them Away campaign. This forms part of a wider approach from our Community Development team to reach as many families with under-fives as possible and promote child safety, which has included providing unintentional injury training for professionals and holding safety promotion events throughout the county.”
About UKCPI
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.
For more details about the UKCPI, visit www.ukcpi.org
Further information on the Take Action Today campaign can be found at: https://www.ukcpi.org/take-action-today/
