Poison Prevention Safety Tips

At home, school, daycare and throughout the community, we are surrounded by various poison risks. Knowing how to handle and store these chemicals and substances is one of the best ways we can keep ourselves and our families safe. Learn some safety tips to help promote poison prevention, especially at home and school.

At Home

Home is where the heart is — and where the cleaning products, insecticides and other toxic substances are too, unfortunately. Minimizing exposure to harmful products should be at the top of your home safety checklist. Here are some tips for keeping yourself and your children — both furry and not — safe.

• Store cleaning products and chemicals in a secured or locked cabinet, or high out of reach of little ones and pets. Make sure all caps are screwed on tightly after use.
• Opt for natural products wherever you can to minimize exposure to chemicals. There are hundreds of recipes for all-natural products you can make at home available on Pinterest.
• Do not place insecticides, fertilizers, herbicides or rodent control products anywhere children or pets can access them.
• Keep the American Association of Poison Control Poison Helpline number on the refrigerator and store it in your phone for easy access: 1-800-222-1222. You can even text POISON to 797979 to easily save the number in your smartphone. Calls are always free, and all questions are answered by experts day and night, every day of the year.
• Read labels carefully before use. Many products cannot safely be mixed with each other — bleach and ammonia, for example. Ensure safe usage by becoming an expert label reader.
• Install a carbon monoxide monitor. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas. When inhaled, it can lead to severe illness and even death. The risk of carbon monoxide exposure increases during the winter months.
• Practice proper food safety in the kitchen to avoid food poisoning. Familiarize yourself with these tips from the CDC.
• Store all prescription medications in their original, child-proof containers and store out of sight and reach. Properly discard of all expired medications to prevent accidental ingestion.
• Store alcoholic beverages out of reach of young children and in a locked cabinet if possible.

At School

Schools and daycares must be extra vigilant in their poison prevention efforts. Here are some of the most important tips for keeping children safe.

• Store all chemicals in a locked cabinet or out of reach of children.
• Just like at home, never mix chemicals. Check out these helpful cleaning tips for teachers.
• Keep the poison control hotline number posted in each room and in offices and clinics.
• Teach good handwashing practices to students.
• Opt for fragrance-free cleaning products whenever possible. Children can be especially sensitive to highly scented products.

Poison prevention requires vigilance on all of our parts — every season of the year. We hope these safety tips help you create a sense of safety in your home and your life.

Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department (OWL VFD) is one of the largest and busiest volunteer fire departments in the United States, with almost 300 members. OWL VFD provides fire suppression, EMS care and rescue services to 80,000 residents in our 27-square-mile area through the operation of three fire stations. OWL volunteer firefighters and EMT’s work the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift, five days a week, plus 24/7 holidays and weekends. For more information on OWL VFD, become a fan on our Facebook page here.