Children are often keen to explore new areas and may display a natural sense of curiosity for anything new that’s going on. In the case of building work and construction, there may be temptation to go and see what’s happening, but construction sites can pose serious dangers for children.
Understand the Dangers
As parents, you should make sure that children understand the dangers that construction sites provide. Although they may look like interesting places, where exciting digging or building is going on, they can be a Danger Hotspot For Young Children. As well as the obvious issue of there being holes and uneven ground that Children Could Fall Down, there may be unsafe structures (being built or being knocked down) and the equipment left behind by builders at the end of the day is dangerous, too.
Whether it’s a field that is in the process of being developed into retail shops, or new houses that are beginning to be built, children should be offered the important message that they’re not playgrounds but dangerous working areas. As a parent, you can set a good example by avoiding going near the construction sites yourself or, if you really want to take a photo of the changing landscape, stand at a safe distance.
It’s important to keep away from construction sites both during the day when work is in action, and at night, when the workers have left. During the day there are major dangers for children. Workers driving along in diggers could easily miss seeing a small child wandering into the area, and a large building vehicle poses extreme danger.
Safety at Home
It’s equally important to be aware of construction safety issues if you’re having any building work carried out at home. For example, if you’ve an extension added to your home, having a kitchen redesigned or rebuilt, or are having major renovation work carried out, there will be potential dangers lurking rather closer to home than usual.
Where major work is concerned, it’s not ideal to have young children in the midst of it, but it’s not always practical or affordable to go and stay somewhere else while the work is carried out. If you’re staying put, make sure children are aware of which areas of the house are out of bounds. Don’t just tell them where they’re not supposed to venture, but cordon areas off so they can’t accidentally wander that way, too.
Safety in the Garden
Take care when letting children play outside in your garden if there are building or construction materials left outside. Bricks stacked up in piles can easily be knocked, cement mixers could be climbed into and pots of paints and other building materials could be a source of curiosity.
Having building work going on at home can be a bit of a nightmare when you have young children, but by being careful and monitoring what they can and can’t do, and where they can and can’t go in the home, can help reduce the risk of accidents occurring.