Safty Tips for Your Backyard

One of summer's greatest pleasures is hanging out in the yard with friends, pets and family. Keep your yard comfortable and kid-safe by following these maintenance and planning tips:

TIPS TO KEEP YOUR YARD SAFE

• Designate a play area a few feet away from the house, porch, garage or nearby road to reduce the danger of lead or chemical poisoning. Homes built prior to 1978 may contain high levels of lead in their paint, and when these paints chip or peel, they can contaminate nearby soils with lead. Another source of lead contamination in soil may come from a nearby busy highway that has been active prior to the removal of lead in most gasoline. When children play in lead-contaminated areas, they may ingest the poison by accident. 

• Plant and maintain grass or other ground covering in yard play areas to help remove impurities from the soil and provide a soft cushioning for falls. 

• Keep kids indoors, or sunblock them adequately, during peak sunshine hours, between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

• Provide a light source for evening play to help guard against accidents. 

• Paint or reseal older CCA treated play structures to guard against arsenic poisoning. Many playground structures made with pressure treated lumber contain arsenic, a poison that can harm your child. To guard against arsenic poisoning, coat these structures with a sealant every couple of years, and make sure your children wash their hands after playing on pressure treated wood and prior to eating. 

• Pick up pet waste regularly, and make sure your kids wear shoes in yards where pets do their business to avoid hookworm, tapeworm, ringworm, roundworm or Salmonella. Worm eggs can last for years after pet feces has been composted into the soil. (Pet waste makes lousy compost, by the way, and is actually toxic to your lawn.) Quick poop-scooping is the key to keeping your yard safe for pets and kids.