School holiday season means children staying at home more often and a large number of families rotating in short-term rentals. When conducting inspections, this is a good time to take extra precautions to reduce the risk of accident or injury.
The first thing to check is the blind and curtain cords are out of reach of young children. Mandatory installation standards have been in place since January 2015. These cords are a strangulation risk, so the Office of Fair Trading(OFT) recommends that you make sure the bottom of any cord is secured at least 160cm above the floor. Make sure they are far from cots and beds.
If the rental property has bunk beds, see to it that the top bunk has guardrails on all four sides and provides adequate roll out protection and has no unsafe gaps that could trap a child’s head.
Check that furniture is stable as well, especially large televisions that may topple on children. If there are any doubts about furniture stability, secure it using furniture straps, angle braces, or anchors screwed into wall studs.
Finally, during these hot months, make sure there is a hot water tempering device that prevents the water temperature exceeding 50 degrees when it is delivered through bathroom taps.
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