I keep hearing about children getting trapped inside washing machines or tumble dryers. It’s a serious issue and something many of us might never even think of but a little awareness could prevent a tragedy.
A quick search on Google for the following phrases shows very distressing headlines and gives a good idea of the potential dangers – child dies in washing machine | child dies in tumble dryer. The amount of results on these searches is quite staggering and distressing.
Don’t leave these appliances plugged in
Bear in mind that appliances left permanently plugged in (as many are) can be started up by children playing if one gets inside and another closes the door. When buying a new washing machine some have child locks on the doors or electronic child locks that can disable the machine with a specific set of button presses (check your instruction book). So if you ever have children at your house you should consider making sure your new washing machine has a child safety lock – and make sure you always use it.
Alternatively make sure you always switch the appliance off at the socket so it can’t be operated and never just open a door, throw things in and start it up – always look inside the drum first. It’s possible for a small child to hide inside some appliances and even when aware of your presence a small child might think it’s a game to keep quite and stay hidden.
Let’s not forget our pets too, as many of them have died or gone through a traumatic experience when they’ve crept inside such an appliance and owners have just thrown items inside and started them up ( Kitten dies in washing machine; owners issue warning )
[ Related article Warning: Cats shouldn’t be washed and dogs can blow the house up ]
And don’t put your granny in the microwave either!
All children should be branded with a government health warning – Living can damage your health!