Are you storing dangerous chemicals outside of their original containers? Perhaps in something familiar, like an old soda bottle or something else easily recognizable to a child?
Don’t.
Farm Safety for Just Kids recommends storing the chemicals around your home and farm in their proper container, and if not, label them appropriately with warning symbols, words, colors and distinctions between levels of danger.
Kids don’t always understand the dangers of chemicals, and the risk of accidental exposure only increases when the dangerous chemicals are found in a familiar container or location.
The group recommends these 7 tips for preventing accidental chemical exposure:
- Lock chemicals in their original, labeled container
- Teach kids warning signs and what to avoid
- Discard all empty chemical containers and accessories properly
- Remove children and toys from the area when applying chemicals
- Wash chemical soiled clothing separately
- Close all containers when not in use, even if only for a moment
- Farm chemicals are not to be handled by youth
Even if you take all the precautions, accidents do happen, so also make sure you have the number for Poison Control programmed into your phone: 1-800-222-1222.
Photo courtesy of Center for Ecolonomic Excellence & Development (link to http://nourishtheplanet.com/2014/07/teaching-children-about-organic-farming/)
