Here are some top tips for heater safety:

• Follow warning labels on all heating appliances
• Allow for at least 1 metre clearance around the heater
• Anchor heater to wall or floor, if possible
• Keep heater away from flammable materials such as curtains and carpets
• Use guards for fireplaces and heaters
• Stop using immediately  if there is a bad odour or a sooty and/or yellow flame and get professionally serviced, or throw out
• Turn off all heating appliances  when leaving the house

Never use outdoor heaters or charcoal heaters inside.   These are extremely dangerous and could cause carbon monoxide (gas) poisoning.  For more information visit Product Safety Australia. 

Find more top safety tips  visit Kidsafe NSW’s Heater and Fireplace Safety Information Sheet.

Remember to check your smoke detectors and replace batteries as needed.

To make your house Winter Fire Safe  visit  Fire and Rescue NSW’s Winter Fire Safety Checklist. 

Source:  Product Safety Australia

Image courtesy S Powell

Now that the cooler day and nights of winter are here, out come the warm duvets and electric blankets.  Follow these top safety tips to keep your family warm and safe:

• Check cords for damage before each use

• Test the blanket before each use to make sure it is working properly

• Turn off the blanket before going to sleep, leaving the room or house

Hot water bottles and heat packs can be great to sooth minor aches and pains on adults.  However, if hot water bottles are used incorrectly or if the bottle breaks then burns can occur including minor scalds or deep thickness burns.  

If heat packs are overheated or placed in bedding material it can result in burns to skin or ignite into fire.  Highly recommended NOT to use with children because of the risk of inadvertent scalding due to the heat from the contents and/or outside cover.

Follow these top safety tips on water bottles and heat packs:

• Buy a new hot water bottle an heat pack every winter and follow the manufacturer’s instructions

• Never use boiling water in the bottle– it is not made for water that hot!

• Use a towel or protective around hot water bottle or heat pack to protect skin

• Keep on one area of the body for no more than 20 minutes at a time

• Remove hot water bottle from bed before getting into bed for a sleep, if using to warm up the bedding

• Never place a heat pack into a bed

For more great information,  visit Kidsafe NSW’s info graphic:  Electric blankets and hot water bottles

Image Source: Product Safety Australia

Source:  Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) , Product Safety Australia and Fair Trading NSW

The alpine environment is the ultimate family destination in winter, with many exciting activities including, skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing. As with most outdoor activities, it is important to be safety conscious and adequately plan and prepare.

If you're outside on a very cold day:

• ensure you and your child wear enough protective clothing;
• dress in a number of thin layers to stay warm because you can start out with lots of clothes to keep you warm and then peel them off once you start to heat up; and
• wear a hat, scarf, or gloves.

In the snow:

• make sure children are supervised by adults, rather than an older child;
• wear protective, high visibility clothing and head gear when skiing or tobogganing;
• place  a name tag in an obvious place (with ski lodge or mobile number) to help the Ski Patrol locate you should one of your children be lost or injured;
• properly fit any ski boots, bindings or boards;
• ensure children travel safely on chairlifts: they should always ride with an adult, sit still and use any restraining devices available
• to be alert to body signals. Shivering or teeth chattering, may mean it’s time to go inside;
• keep hydrated with warm drinks and soups when it's cold outside. It’s important to warm up before heading back outside; and
• enjoy!

Image and content source:  http://snowsafe.org.au/

Kidsafe NSW has a great tool, the ‘Home Safety Checklist’, for you to use to make sure that possible hazards in and around the house have been identified and taken care of.  You can also check out ‘A Parent’s Guide to Kidsafe Homes” which will take you through each hazard and preventative strategies 

‘A Parent’s Guide to Kidsafe’ Roads’ will assist you chooses the best type of child car seat for your situation,; use of correctly fitted helmets; wheeled toy safety, pedestrian safety; and most importantly driveway safety.

These are just a few resources that Kidsafe NSW offers, we are also available  by phone or email to answer your questions about home, water, playground and road safety for children. 

Image courtesy S Powell

We all want to provide a soothing and comforting environment for baby, but it is important to remember - make sure their sleeping environment is safe.  

Here are some top tips for keeping kids safe during sleep:

• Sleep babies on their back from birth

• Keep baby’s head and face uncovered

• Do not use quilts, doonas, duvets, pillows, cot bumpers, or soft toys in the cot

• Make sure that no additional mattress or extra padding are placed in cot

• Provide a safe sleeping place night and day in a cot that meets the Australian Standards for Household Cots (AS.NZS 2172)

• Position cot away from blind and curtain cords

• Avoid smoke in the air around babies and on clothes

• Use an infant sleeping bag that is the correct size and weight for the season

For more information see Kidsafe’s Safe Sleeping Information Sheet

Here are the key points:

• Night wear and paper patterns for night wear, like pyjamas, bathrobes and infant sleep bags are put into 4 categories based on the type of fabric or garment.

• Each category must have a label that shows if the item is low or high fire hazard based on testing

• Look for and select the LOW fire hazard label when you purchase nightwear

For more information, see Kidsafe’s Children’s Nightwear Safety information sheet.

Image and content source:  Product Safety Australia

What do you think needs to happen in NSW to have safer roads?  Transport for NSW wants to hear from you about what can be done to have less injuries and death on our roadways. 

Click here to take part and have your voice heard.

The mandatory standard prescribes requirements that address the hazards associated with unsafe decorations on dummy chains. Prior to 1 July 2019 dummy chains must meet the requirements of the mandatory standard or the ban. Following the revocation of the ban on 1 July 2019 dummy chains will need to meet the requirements of the mandatory standard.

About the ban:

This ban applies to dummy chains with crystals, beads or other similar ornaments (also known as 'bling') that fail to meet minimum safety requirements detailed in the permanent ban notice. These relate to the length of the chain, impact resistance, tensile strength as well as the durability of the garment fastener.

Baby dummy chains include pins, ribbons, strings, cords, chains, twines, leathers, yarns, or any other similar article which is designed to be attached to baby dummies.

Content and image source:  Product Safety Australia

Dr Johnson was awarded a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia to formally recognise her outstanding achievement and service to the families and communities in South Australia. 

Dr Johnson joined Kidsafe SA in 1993 in a voluntary capacity where she helped run accident related injury awareness and prevention programs to parents and carers.  Dr Johnson then went on to serve as Kidsafe SA’s president and was a member of the Kidsafe Australia Council.  

Mrs Anne-Marie Stuart died 18 May 2017, aged 99 years.

Anne-Marie Stuart was a dedicated servant to the most vulnerable members of her community and an  excellent role model and advocate for both children and the aged members of our community.

One of the many highlights of Mrs Stuart’s commitment to the community was her role as one of the founding members of Kidsafe NSW.   Mrs Stuart was awarded The 2007 Ku-ring-gai Citizen of the Year and honoured her for her more than four decades of outstanding volunteering in the community with Ku-ring-gai Old People’s Welfare Association (KOPWA) and the Ku-ring-gai Meals on Wheels Service.  Mrs Stuart was granted a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in 1985 for service to the welfare of the ageing and in recognition of her time and dedication to her community and its most vulnerable people.

Follwing Mrs Stuart’s passing, her family have indicated their support of donations to Kidsafe in her memory. For further information visit

http://www.kidsafensw.org/

New recalls include:

Fidget spinner

Children’s toys (Wens Bros)

Flotation rings (Wens Bros)

Youth quad bikes

Child car booster cushion

Neopuzzle

For a complete list of product recalls including children’s clothing, furniture and toys go to Product Safety Australia