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Being Safe in Your Own Backyard

As the days continue to get longer and the weather gets warmer, we will all be spending more time outdoors.  Here are some tips to help keep you and your family safe outside.

The great outdoors!  After working, going to school, or running errands all day, many people love to rest, relax, unwind, and play outdoors and take part in recreational activities.  The outdoors offers many opportunities for such activities as swimming, tennis, and barbecues.  Yet, many safety dangers lurk outside your home, even in your own backyard.

YOUR BACKYARD

Your backyard should be childproofed in the same manner as the rest of your house.  Even in the most ideal situations – a fenced yard with a minimum of dangers – children need supervision.  Here are some suggestions for what to watch for to prevent potential accidents.

• Never let an infant or toddler play outside alone.
• Keep swimming or wading pools inaccessible to babies and toddlers.
• Check play areas frequently, watching for broken sidewalks that need repair, loose board on wooden steps, or holes or ditches in the lawn that should be filled.
• Clean areas of all animal droppings.
• Be on the lookout for poisonous insects.
• Watch for poisonous plants, such as poison ivy, poison sumac, or poison oak in the backyard and remove mushrooms and toadstools as soon as they appear.
• Install childproof locks on gates and remove anything that a child could use to climb over the fence.
• Keep a constant eye on infants who can put dangerous objects in their mouths.
• Make sure outdoor play equipment is safe and sturdily constructed.
• Place play equipment at least six feet away from fences and walls.
• Teach your toddler or infant about the dangers in their play area.
• Create a vocabulary of warning words. (Ouch, Hot, Sharp, etc.)
• Keep your child out of the area altogether when the lawn is being mowed.
• Walk around the yard to pick up objects that you may not see while mowing.
• Be careful when mowing on hills or inclines where the mower could topple over.
• Don’t leave a hose lying in the sun.  Water in it can get hot enough to scald a child.
• Keep children away from a grill at all times, especially when you are cooking on it.
• Always use sunscreen and protective clothing such as hats when outside.
• For sensitive eyes, wear sunglasses.

BACKYARD GRILLS

There is noting more entertaining than preparing summer picnics in the backyard.  Precautions need to be taken, however, when cooking on gas grills.

• Thoroughly clean gas grills at the beginning of the season.  Always keep and maintain a fire extinguisher near – but not on – the grill.
• Never throw a match in a grill, especially after the gas has been on three seconds.
• Never wear a loose apron or loose clothing while grilling.  Always wear shoes.
• Always use the grill’s starter button.  If the starter is broken, do not use the grill.
• Avoid cooking foods with a high fat content that can produce high flames.
• Thoroughly cook food to a safe temperature.
• Never throw away grill instructions or owner’s manual.  Follow manufacturer directions carefully.
• Just these few precautions can lead to safe and relaxing leisure time during warm weather.