Posted by Charlotte Salter, on November 1, 2023.
Families in Shropshire are being urged to take action to use and store household cleaning products safely by the Royal Society for the Prevention Accidents (RoSPA) and the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKCPI).
The latest phase of the Take Action Today, Put Them Away campaign, funded by UKCPI, was launched on Friday 27th October at The Lantern, Meadow Farm Drive, Shrewsbury SY1 4NG.
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the campaign has gone from strength to strength since it began in 2013. The launch in Shropshire marks the 40th event funded by UKCPI and follows the scheme’s success in 39 areas of the UK, where over 700,000 families have been helped to prevent poisoning and eye injuries. Following the early success of the campaign, UKCPI member P&G funded additional launches in 60 areas in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber region, bringing the total number of Take Action Today launches to 100 this year.
Parents have shown a fantastic response to the campaign, with 97% saying that the magnetic fridge pad is helpful in reminding them to put their chemicals in a safer place and 96% saying that the checklist is useful or very useful in helping to make their homes safer.
In Shropshire, accidental poisonings accounted for 60 emergency admissions for 0 – 4-year-olds between 2018/19- 2020/21.
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.
Jim Oram, RoSPA’s public health project officer, 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. We are pleased to have been promoting the Take Action Today, Put Them Away campaign for 10 years now and to have helped so many families to follow the usage instructions on the packaging, and in so doing, avoid unnecessary accidents.”
Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for public health, adult social care and communities said: “We are really happy to support this important campaign, and help this vital safety message to reach as many Shropshire families as possible. Parents and carers of children under the age of five need to be especially careful to ‘take action today, put them away’, keeping harmful products out of the reach of little hands.”
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.
Further information on the Take Action Today campaign can be found at www.rospa.com and https://www.ukcpi.org/take-action-today/
For more details about the UKCPI, visit www.ukcpi.org
