If your child pries one open, though, they can have your office looking like an abstract painting in seconds. Colorful ink cartridges also look fun to play with. Scissors can cause serious injury to a child who grabs them off your desk. It takes just a moment for a child to choke on one of these small items. The pens, paper clips, staples, and rubber bands on your desk can look tempting to a toddler who puts everything in their mouth. When you childproof a home office, the little things matter, too. To protect your equipment from spills and sticky fingers, use waterproof covers. Place it off the floor or lock it in a case or closet, and keep it unplugged until you need it. Pay special attention to the shredder, which can leave a child permanently disabled. Use safety straps, often called earthquake straps, to secure your hard drive, printer, scanner, and other equipment. Install a monitor mount to secure your computer monitor to your desk. Cover any sharp furniture corners or edges with PVC-free corner guards large enough not to pose a choking hazard. Remove stools, boxes, and other items a child could use to climb up onto taller furniture. A child can easily shake the furniture hard enough to bring the pile down. It is a good idea to also avoid piling books or files on top of tall furniture. If you have heavy books, install a strap across the front of the shelf to hold the books in place. Use at least two furniture restraints, or furniture anchors, to secure each item to the wall studs. When you childproof a home office, anchoring bookshelves, filing cabinets, and similar furniture is an important step. In the US, every other week, a child dies from being crushed by tipped furniture. Kids love to climb, but if your child accidentally pulls a filing cabinet over, the consequences could be tragic. For power strips, use safety covers to guard against electrical hazards. Instead, contact your licensed electrician to install tamper resistant outlets. For these, skip the plastic inserts, which are easy for curious little fingers to pry out. Also, use cable clips or electrical tape to affix the cords to the floor around the edge of the room, then cover them with cable trunking.Įlectrical outlets are an even greater shock hazard and can be dangerous to children. To prevent this from happening, it is important to secure loose cords with cable ties. A child could also accidentally use a cord to bring heavy office equipment toppling down onto them, causing injury or worse. They carry enough voltage to severely burn or even kill a child who bites one or cuts one open. Guard Against Electrical HazardsĮlectrical cords are more than just tripping hazards. By childproofing, you will create an office environment for fun and learning, not danger. There are many parts of a home office that can be dangerous to babies or young children if they are left unsupervised for even a few minutes. Before you let your little ones into your workspace, though, it is important to learn how to childproof a home office. The chance to spend more time with your family is one of the best parts of working from home.
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