Current at: 28 February 2008
Child's Play - Child-proofing your office
Children are an important reality in the lives of many business owners and operators. Are they safe in your office?
Which of the following items won’t get stuck in your computer disk drive or CD-ROM compartment? Cheese slices? A Pokemon card? Paint brushes?
If you answered paint brushes, you are correct – though paint brushes can wreak havoc in your home office if your kids get their hands on them!
Keeping your office child friendly makes it easier for you to concentrate on your work, keeps the kids safe and entertained, and makes working at home more of a joy than a chore.
C.H.I.L.D.S.A.F.E. is a memorable and effective acronym to help you make your office a child friendly environment.
C – Choking hazards: Store office supplies such as paper clips and rubber bands in locked drawers or out of reach cabinets. Keep your desk free of clutter. Loose change and pen caps can easily find their way into tiny hands and mouths. Even paper scraps can cause choking, so keep your rubbish bin covered and your floor clean.
H – Hanging objects: Window, phone, and lamp cords should be looped together well above your child’s reach. All of these are strangling hazards.
I – Ingestible substances: Keep ink cartridges and toner out of reach, and watch for other toxic substances such as correction fluid, white board cleaner, and other cleaning supplies.
L – Large items: Secure bookshelves, hutches, and heavy equipment that might topple onto a climbing child. Use filing cabinets with locks to prevent kids from opening drawers and setting the cabinet off balance.
D – Doors and windows: home office is a tempting place for children, representing the off-limits and out-of-the-ordinary. As in other rooms of the house, door knob covers can keep small children from entering or leaving without your knowledge. Window latches can prevent falls. Even from a ground-floor window, a fall can have serious consequences.
S – Sharp objects: In addition to being choking hazards, staples, writing instruments, and other sharp objects can cause cuts, eye injuries, and similar damage. Keep scissors, paper cutters, pins, and pencil sharpeners out of reach. Attach rubber bumpers to the sharp edges of office furniture.
A – Alarms: Like any other room in your house, your home office should have a working smoke alarm. If you use space heaters or extension cords, keep the cords out of children’s reach and leave them unplugged when you’re not in the room.
F – Fragile items: In your office, fragile items include not only breakable objects, but also equipment and important papers. Protect your child from harm and yourself from loss by removing or securing such items. Keep back-up copies of important documents, and cover office equipment when it’s not in use. Save books from damage by packing them tightly onto bookshelves to make it difficult for children to remove them.
E – Electronics: Bundle power cords, and cover outlets that aren’t in use. Cover disk drives and other openings. Use screensavers with passwords if your children are old enough to use a computer.