Home Child Safety

Wednesday the twenty-eighth was my wedding anniversary so my (Realtor) bride dragged me to the beach for a long weekend. It rained all the way down and has rained since we arrived. I don't think we have seen the sun. Therefore, I have conjectured that if you really want to solve the drought, just send me to the beach. 

But everything is not dreary, it's Friday, and this afternoon my oldest daughter (29) called to advise, after years of trying and following a recent invetro procedure, that she is expecting her first child. Hold your breath, because such is just the beginning, it may be twins. On top of that her sister (26 ) is expecting and my twenty year younger brother and his wife are expecting around Christmas and my niece in January. You can add to that five additional viable embryos to be frozen for later (can you believe that?). So how many is it going to be? I've stopped trying to keep count. The only regret is that my mother, who we lost July 1st, will not be around to enjoy all of the babies. 

If you are going to have your first grandchildren, you may as well have a litter, don't you think. With all these babies on my mind and another garage door destroyed this past week during auto reverse testing, I thought I would spend a little time on child safety issues as they relate to home inspections. Here are a few of my experiences and thoughts on the subject. 

To start with, I think some parents go totally overboard on this subject, to a fault, and others tend to totally ignore it. I have the privilege, as do many of you, of visiting numerous homes in every imaginable size, condition and price range. Last week on the same day I had one home of 800 square feet and one 6100. How is that for a range for comparison? 

I call those little outlet plugs and cabinet drawer and door latches "Inspector Proofing" and I hate them with a passion. What they are good for is broken finger nails down into the quick (PAIN). The one thing I have noticed on a consistent basis is the inconsistencies of the maintenance and use of this type of protection. There are always outlets without protection and latches that aren't functioning but just hang there. I am very concerned that the use of these devices creates a false comfort level. I still think proper training, as used with my five children, is the answer for protecting our children. The safest condition is when a child knows its limitations and what is and is not acceptable. Don't hand me the "it doesn't work with my child" I will not buy it, I have five and am convinced that it is a parent, not a child problem. It's called a failure of discipline not an uncontrollable child. 

Well, glad I could get that off of my chest, but there are some very serious issues we need to address about child safety. It starts with training and discipline but it should not end there. I am actually amazed at how a child ever survives living in some homes I inspect. Although in my inspections and reports I don't specifically address child safety, there are numerous issues I do address which relate to this issue. 

Overhead Garage Door Openers

How many times have a heard a homeowner state: "It's never been a problem." Yea, and it won't be until the funeral of your or your neighbors child. Then it will be a problem. As I mentioned earlier; I destroyed one last week. It wasn't the first. I had one which, with a 2" block of wood under it, not only did not stop and auto reverse but kept pushing down to the point, before I could regain my wits, it ripped the door off the tracks and striped the gears out. Thank God my client had just moved out from under it. 

I have stopped using a 2" block and now back up to the door and use my hand while watching the doors operation. If it starts to bind I let go. Unfortunately, last week I wasn't paying enough attention, talking with the client, her friend and the Realtor, and before I realized what was happening the metal door didn't stop, didn't auto reverse, bound on the door header and destroyed the top two panels and I don't know what else. So who destroyed the door? Me, the person who probably installed it improperly, or the one who didn't test and maintain it properly, as the manufacture recommends? It's not very relevant to the homeowner who only sees the damaged door he must repair to sale this home. So how do I handle it? I try to look at the bigger picture. How much is the life of the child I may have saved by destroying this door worth? If the homeowner thinks it's my fault I simply pay for the repair no questions asked. 

The point is overhead garage doors MUST stop and auto reverse for safety. They should also have a secondary means of auto reverse, being an electronic eye override at the bottom. Four to six inches from the floor is good. Higher where a small child, or your cat, can crawl under it makes no sense at all. This is not about what may have been required when the door was installed it's about saving lives. For additional information on Overhead Garage Door Openers visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web Site at: http://63.74.109.9/cpscpub/pubs/523.html

Railings

The most common railing issue I write up, and it happens often, is: "The openings in the stairway railing are large enough to allow a child to fall through. It is recommended that this condition be altered for improved safety." The response is the same as with the garage doors. "It hasn't been a problem." Yea, and it won't be until after the fall. The whole point is to keep it from happening. If there is an opening more than 6" wide it is a problem. 

The other issue I am very concerned about, but have stopped addressing because it is so prevalent and pisses everyone off when I do, and there is no code requirements or regulations to back me up, is the failure to install railings on site retaining walls. I guess we don't have enough of a "body count to address this issue yet" (told to me by a government agent). In my opinion, if a child, or adult for that mater, could walk over a wall there should be a railing just as inside a home or on a deck. Why is it not acceptable per codes to not have a proper railing inside of the home on a deck or porch, but the retaining wall is not addressed? 

GFCI Protected Outlets

To quote the Consumer Product Safety Commission: "A GFCI is a ground fault circuit interrupter. A ground fault circuit interrupter is an inexpensive electrical device, if installed in household branch circuits, could prevent over two-thirds of the approximately 300 electrocutions still occurring each year in and around the home. Installation of this device could also prevent thousands of burn and electric shock injuries each year." Here is an example of a headline you don't want to read: "Two children, ages five and six, were electrocuted in Texas when a plugged-in hair dryer fell into the tub in which they were bathing." You would not believe how may hair dryers I witness plugged into non-protected bathroom outlets next to sinks and bathtubs, not to mention the ones in cabinets which will be plugged in after I leave. For additional information on GFCI's visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web Site at: http://63.74.109.9/cpscpub/pubs/99.html

Electrical Outlets

"Inspector protected outlets" are a pain, and I have yet to find a home where their use is consistent and without consistence they are worthless. Let me share an experience with you which really happened. I was inspecting a very large expensive home with the owners small boy, about five years old, following my every step. I was impressed, but irritated, that every outlet I came to had these devilish little stoppers in them. Then I opened a door off of the large basement playroom, which was filled with children's toys, there was a small unfinished room with a large refrigerator. I found out later this refrigerator was filled with the children's drinks and they were allowed to access it at will. Next to the refrigerator, near the floor, was an electrical outlet missing a cover plate. I found the mother, brought her to the room while telling her how impressed I was with the extent she had gone to protect her children, then pointed out that her efforts were worthless because the child was going to die right here and she may as well have saved the effort and expense. Its not the multiple efforts that saves lives but the attention to the details. 

Scalding

Would you believe that each year, approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths occur in the home due to scalding from excessively hot tap water and that the majority involve the elderly and children under the age of five? Your water should be set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit. For additional information on scalding visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web Site at: http://63.74.109.9/cpscpub/pubs/5098.html

Pools, Hot Tubs and Spa's

The safety issues with pools, hot tubs and spa's are numerous, but the one I most deal with are barriers. I hardly ever find a pool, hot tub or spa which is safe. An outdoor swimming pool, including an in-ground, aboveground or on-ground pool, hot tub or spa should be provide with a barrier for safety extending at least 48" above grade. Opening should not allowing a 4" diameter sphere to pass through and the barrier should be difficult to climb over. Access gates should open outward away from the pool, be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should not be operable by a small child. See the North Carolina Building Code for other options and additional requirements. A good publication on pool safety is titled "Safety Barrier Guideline for Home Pools" and is available in PDF format at the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web Site at: http://63.74.109.9/cpscpub/pubs/pool.pdf.

These are by no means the only issues related to child safety, in our homes, but they are the ones I deal with on a regular basis. For additional information on "Childproofing Your Home" check out the publication at the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web Site at: http://63.74.109.9/cpscpub/pubs/grand/12steps/12steps.html

Thought for the week
 
Knowledge Pays