Your own home and backyard are places where you should be able to relax and enjoy some quality leisure time, but there is no room for complacency when it comes to safety awareness, as a fair number of homeowners will tell you.
Accidents happen in homes across the country on a daily basis and your backyard is a particular place where you could suffer a trip or fall that could even have unfortunate long-term consequences.
Here is a look at some of the potential dangers to be aware of in your backyard and how to take steps to avoid being involved in an accident in your own home.
Allowing your children to play safely
Kids love being outdoors and your backyard can become an adventure playground to them that is fun to explore, but there are also dangers to their safety that you need to be aware of.
Major hazards in your backyard include any power tools and equipment that you leave lying around.
Make sure you keep all your power tools like drills and saws safely locked away so that they can’t get their hands on them and suffer an injury.
Think about plants
There are actually loads of different plants that could be growing in your garden that could prove harmful to your children if they are tempted to try them and see what they taste like.
Your child could easily be attracted to a colourful daffodil or could think that the mushrooms growing in the garden are perfectly safe to eat.
Teach your kids about plant safety and make sure they know never to eat any berries or plants in the garden without first asking your permission.
Be wary of chemicals
Another potential danger that you need to be aware of in the backyard is access to chemicals and pesticides.
Kids and animals should be kept well away from any harmful substances and it is far better to remove any potential exposure by keeping these items locked away at all times or use a specific pet safe fertilizer.
Walkways and steps
Children aren’t the only ones exposed to potential danger, as lawyers at a disability firm will most likely confirm, there are plenty of slip and trip hazards in the average backyard and it only takes a brief moment to suffer an accident that could have devastating consequences.
If your walkways are suffering from wear and tear with cracks and uneven surfaces that could cause you to suffer a trip or fall.
A coating of slippery moss can also soon wreak havoc and cause you to slip and fall while using the walkway.
Carry out regular maintenance by repairing any cracks and cleaning away any moss or grime that makes the path slippery.
Troublesome trampolines
Kids and adults all enjoy having a bit of bouncing fun on a trampoline but this piece of equipment is often cited as the cause of numerous accidents.
To enjoy your trampoline safely it is best to have a safety net around the perimeter and it pays to clean the surface too.
Pool safety is paramount
If you are lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard or have a water feature like a pond, safety always has to be a top priority.
Ponds and pools need to be fenced and access controlled so that kids or animals can only get near the water when an adult is about.
Enjoy your BBQ safely
A great summer pastime is to have a family barbecue but the day can soon go badly wrong without practising good BBQ safety.
Think about where you place the barbecue and keep items such as lighter fuel and grill utensils out of reach from kids.
If you think about and prepare for these common dangers in your backyard it should help you to avoid an accident spoiling your day, or worse.
