In the garden

Buckets, garden pots, wheelbarrows, ponds and water features can be hazardous to your child who can drown in a matter of centimetres.

Here are some helpful hints to prevent drownings around the home:

• After using a bucket or tub empty it out and turn it upside down to stop rainwater accumulating accidentially and presenting a hazard that you might not be aware of especially if you have had a downpour.
• Remove plugs from outdoor baths and ensure that spas have regulation safety covers on them
• Teach your child that they are to stay away from water at all times - and this goes for all water - from buckets to beaches, children need to be wary of water. Ninety nine percent of drownings of under five year old's occurs when children are left unattended
• Teach your child to ask themselves 'have I got an adult with me'. You want to encourage them to think before they get into a potential water hazard.
• Cover ponds and water features with a sturdy iron mesh just below the surface. The mesh needs to be strong enough to withhold a child, so prop it up well under the water so if the child accidentially falls into the feature, they won't go down under the water.
• Make sure all pools and spas are up to regulation as far as safety. This means ensuring your pool fence meets the standards in the Building Act Clause 9. For more information see here
• Its summer and the portable pools come out purchased for the fraction of the cost of an inground pool but the safety considerations stay the same. Paddling and little inflatable pools must be deflated and emptied as soon as your child has finished playing with them.
• The same rules apply regarding permanent pools as for temporary pools, so read the guide and double check with your council to ensure that what you have is suitable and safe.
• Keep pesticides and fertilisers away from your child and high up on a shelf or lock them in a cupboard so only an adult can get to them.