Occupational Health, Safety & Risk Management for the Home

As I attend more and more Risk Management, OH&S and Manual Handling training for work, I've noticed that as boring as these courses often are, I am bringing my newly-aware eyes home and looking with dissatisfaction around my house. I went through all the usual kid-safe safaris way back when my children were crawling and toddling from one room to another. Not a furniture corner remained unpadded or a glass object d'art put out of harms way. Yet, freshly trained for the office, I see that I have let things slide since the darling trio reached the independence years of the charming pre-pubescent.

Risk Management trains the eye to assess the inherent risk of building and event sites. Unconfined refuse, unsafe scaffolding, construction left-overs, etc. Every aspect is inspected for safety and potential to injure. The trained eye also casts a knowing gaze over backyard party preparations. Damaged fence posts from soccer balls kicked too hard; wire poking free from the corner where once passionfruit vines had trailed; tree roots and rocks protruding from an unkempt lawn, hidden bone-size holes in same. A long time ago, in the time period generally known as "before kids walking ", our backyard looked quite good with everything in its proper place. Then the kids, followed by an active, partly insane dog, took over and there went paradise. I dragged my husband into the wilds with lectures on risk control, damaged arms and legs not belong to this family, and hazardous waste pooling behind the garage. He assured me the waste was in no way toxic and we made ourselves busy fixing and barricading the rest of the yard. It took a whole weekend.

Manual handling. Ah, now there's a torturous lesson in how to keep the eyes open, let alone alert! However… it also showed me that I really shouldn't attempt to carry too many grocery bags in one trip just to get the job done quicker. It also further demonstrated the need to insistently share more of the heavy and arduous chores around the home such as vacuuming and bedmaking. At one stage I had been determined that my children would grow up knowing how to make their own beds and look after their personal environments [read, their bedrooms]. Somewhere along the way it became much easier and less stressful to do it myself. So, I am back to insisting they shoulder their share of the burdens in order to receive their share of the subsequent blessings - me in a good mood and with energy! I also, with stern visage, folded arms and tapping foot, insist that husband clean up after himself and learn to put his own clothes away.

Occupational Health and Safety. This is the biggy! I scan the house at all times, often without realising it, and point out the dangers in leaving the hairdryer plugged into the wall with the cord draped over the fruit bowl [don't ask!]. Warn of the potential fire hazard of not unplugging the laptop from the charger and leaving it nestled among the blankets on the lounge. Gently remind of the dangers of leaving toys, clothing and schoolbags scattered across floors and/or blocking doorways. Trip hazard, children, and probably mine! Being electrocuted, set on fire, tripping over and breaking a leg does not make for a happy and energised mother. And dad won't be too happy about it either.

I thought it wasn't really getting through to the children until the other day. I overheard number three darling telling number two that leaving her cd player in the middle of the room with the cord stretched across the walkway was completely unsafe, and "I could have tripped over and broken a leg, you know!" I sighed in bliss. They do listen after all.

So, while the warnings and reminders continue unabated, my husband [equally as trained in OH&S] and I back them up with ensuring our home remains reasonably safe for us all to live in. Those areas deemed irretrievable [at least until the children grow up and move into their own OH&S problems] have been fortified to prevent access. Those areas we can fix, we do. Last weekend we discovered that underneath the growing pile of unused bicycles, roller blades, skateboards and assorted sorry-looking balls, was a boat! We've cleaned out the spiderwebs, tested the engines, and this weekend, we're going to see if the old thing still floats. Don’t worry. With our minds still firmly on the safety and well being of our darling children, we've drawn up lists of things that need cleaning, sorting and putting away and have put them, and the young ones, in the experienced hands of their grandparents. Happy Boating!