Summer Safety Tips

By Toronto4Kids

• Always wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating and skateboarding, and when riding scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and horses.

• Always supervise your children when they are in the pool. Place barriers completely around your pool to prevent access, using door and pool alarms. Always be prepared for an emergency. Have floaters and life jackets available.

• Ensure that your home playground is safe.

• Don't allow a game of hide-n-seek to become deadly. There are many suffocation deaths involving children who crawled inside old cedar chests, latch-type freezers and refrigerators, iceboxes in campers, clothes dryers and picnic coolers. Childproof old appliances and warn children not to play inside them.

• Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of open windows. Guards should be installed in all bedrooms. Or, install window stops that permit windows to open no more than 4 inches. Whenever possible, open windows from the top, not the bottom. Keep furniture away from windows to discourage children from climbing near windows.

• When mowing, keep small children out of the yard, and turn the mower off if children enter the area. If the lawn slopes, mow across the slope with the walk-behind rotary mower, never up and down. With a riding mower, drive up and down the slope, not across it. Never carry children on a riding mower.

• When using a trampoline, allow only one person on at a time, and do not allow somersaults. Use a shock-absorbing pad that completely covers the springs and place the trampoline away from structures and other play areas. Children under 6-years-old should not use full-size trampolines.

• Be aware that movable soccer goals can fall over and can fatally injure children. Make sure the goal is anchored securely at all times and never allow anyone to climb on the net or goal framework or hang from the cross bar. Remove nets when the goals are not in use.

• Use softer baseballs, safety-release bases and batting helmets with face guards to reduce baseball-related injuries to children.

• When cooking outdoors with a gas grill, check the air tubes that lead into the burner for any blockage from insects, spiders, or food grease. Check grill hoses for cracking, brittleness, holes, and leaks. Make sure there are no sharp bends in the hose or tubing. If you ever detect a leak, immediately turn off the gas at the tank and don't attempt to light the grill until the leak is fixed. Newer grills and propane tanks have improved safety devices to prevent gas leaks.

• Never bring charcoal grills indoors. Burning charcoal produces deadly carbon monoxide.

• Never allow children to play with or ignite fire works. Read and follow all warnings and instructions. Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks. Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves, and flammable materials. Never try to re-light fireworks that have not fully functioned. Keep a bucket of water handy in case of a malfunction or a fire.