Poison Safety Checklist

Your goal is to answer "Yes" to all questions. Continue this level of protection by making sure that whenever you buy potentially harmful products, they have child-resistant closures and are kept out of sight and reach. Post the number of the Poison Control Center near your telephone.

Table of Contents
The Kitchen
The Bathroom
The Garage or Storage Area
Site Precautions
Handling Precautions

The Kitchen

Do all dangerous products in the cabinets have child-resistant caps? Products such as drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and furniture polish should have safety closures to keep young children from opening the containers.

Yes No

Have all potentially harmful products bee put up high, out of reach of children? the best way to prevent poisoning is to make poisons impossible to reach. Better yet, lock all cabinets that hold dangerous products.

Yes No

Are all dangerous products in their original containers? Labels on original containers often give important first aid information. Also, be sure not to store dangerous products in drinking glasses, pop bottles, or other food containers.

Yes No

Are harmful products stored away from food? if poisons are stored on the same shelves as food, someone may get confused and accidentally swallow a poison.

Yes No

The Bathroom

Do all medicine containers have child-resistant caps? Medicines are poisons if used improperly. Aspirins and other over-the-counter remedies, as well as most prescription medicines, come with child-resistant closures. Check to see that yours have them, and that they are properly secured. Ask your pharmacist to put your prescriptions in child-resistant packaging. These have been shown to save the lives of children.

Yes No

Have you thrown away all out-of-date prescriptions? As medicines age, the chemicals inside them can change. What was once a good medicine may now be a dangerous poison. Flush all old drugs down the toilet; rinse the container well, then discard it.

Yes No

Are your medicines in their original containers with the original labels? Prescription medicines may or may not list ingredients. The prescription number on the label will, however, allow rapid identification of ingredients by your pharmacist should they not be listed. If drugs are separated from their original containers, you can't be sure what you're taking. After all, aspirins look a lot like poisonous roach tablets.

Yes No

If your vitamins or mineral supplements contain iron, are they in child-resistant containers? Most people think of vitamins and minerals as food, but a few iron pills can kill a child.

Yes No

The Garage or Storage Area

Did you know that many things that may be stored in your garage, utility room, or shed are terrible poisons if that are swallowed? Death may result from swallowing such everyday substances as charcoal lighter, paint thinner, antifreeze, or turpentine.

Yes No

Do all these poisons have child-resistant caps?

Yes No

Are they stored in original containers?

Yes No

Are all the original labels on the containers?

Yes No

Are all these dangerous products stored out of sight and reach--or better yet, locked up?

Yes No

Have you made sure that no dangerous products are stored in drinking glasses, pop bottles, or other food containers?

Yes No

Poisons can be dangerous to your pets as well as your children. For instance, a puddle of antifreeze resulting from a spill or a leak may attract your cat because of its sweet smell. A horrible death could result. Do you wipe up all spills or puddles in you garage, carport, basement, or utility area?

Yes No

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