Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Safety Advice – Planning A Children’s Play Area

By: Turfandstuff

When it comes to planning a children’s play area, safety is always at the top of the priority list. Below we look at some of the safety aspects you need to bear in mind.

Children love nothing more than having a great area specially dedicated to them which they can run around and play in. So, it’s hardly surprising that more and more adults are spending time working out just how they can fit that ideal play area into their garden and planning all aspects of safety is a big part of this. Here are some safety tips to consider during the planning process and once the play area is in place:

Safety Surface – As more than 70% of all injuries within the children’s play area are caused by the children falling, it is important that you make the surface as safe as possible. Ensure that you install a shock-absorbing surface of about six inches deep. This should exceed the play area itself by about six foot. Consider using play bark, wood chippings or sand.

Location – Carefully consider the position of your play area. Avoid placing it near to greenhouses or fencing. For smaller children consider placing the play area where you will be easily able to keep an eye on them.

Children-friendly – The play area needs to be totally child-friendly, so check every part of the designated area for any potentially dangerous obstructions. Remove protruding tree roots, branches etc. Also think about small spaces when younger children might become stuck, such as climbing ladders etc.

Regular Maintenance – Make sure that you regularly maintain the play area. This will entail raking through any loose material and removing any foreign objects. Check all the play equipment and replace or repair appropriately.

Establish Play Area Rules – Children need to know how they should behave in the play area. This should include how they should use the play equipment and understanding the reasons why glasses or other objects shouldn’t be allowed in the area. Furthermore, adults will benefit from agreeing clear supervision rules.

Turfandstuff is a national supplier of bulky garden products for home and School delivery. Visit their website on Play Bark

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Saturday, August 22, 2009

Campfire Safety Tips

By: Jeremy Biberdorf

Camping and campfires go hand in hand. It is difficult to imagine going camping without building a fire to roast marshmallows over and to tell ghost stories around. Without proper safety etiquette, your campfire could turn your camping trip into a disaster.

Choosing a Safe Location For Your Campfire

Most commercial campgrounds already have preexisting fire rings to use. Unless the fire ring is in a dangerous spot, you should build your fire there. The campground owners have likely already deemed this as a safe location to build a fire. The fire ring will help contain sparks and prevent your fire from spreading.

If your campsite does not have a fire ring, you will need to create one. First find a spot that meets these criteria:
-downwind at least 5 feet away from your tent and firewood
-away from trees, bushes, logs, stumps and overhanging branches
-away from dry grass and forest debris
-away from any other flammable items

If your campsite does have a fire ring already, check if it meets the above criteria too. The landscape around your campsite could have changed since the fire ring was initially built. There might now be a branch that overhangs the current fire ring.

Preparing Your Campfire Area

Once you have chosen where to build your campfire, you need to ensure that the area is completely clear of anything that could ignite. It is best to clear the ground right down to the soil within about 5 feet of your fire pit. Surrounding twigs and dry leaves could easily catch fire from a wayward spark.

Next dig a shallow pit about 2 feet across and encircle this pit with a ring of medium sized rocks. These rocks should be placed snuggly together without any gaps where sparks could fly through. Remove any small, loose stones from the pit that could potentially explode from the fire's heat.

Before you begin building your campfire, make sure you have equipment on hand to extinguish your fire. You will need a large bucket of water and a shovel. Keep these things close enough to your fire pit that they are quickly accessible in an emergency. If the ground around your campsite is too hard to shovel, also keep a bucket of sand or dirt nearby.

Safely Igniting Your Campfire

Avoid using lighter fluid or other chemicals to start your fire. These fuels are dangerous to use in the wilderness. They can unexpectedly flare up and catch your clothing on fire. Instead just use a lighter or match to ignite your kindling. Do not discard any used matches until they are cool to the touch.

It can be tempting to build a large bonfire instead of a reasonably sized campfire. Resist the temptation and put safety first. A large fire will emit more potentially hazardous sparks. These sparks from a large fire are capable to drifting further away than sparks from a small fire. Also it can be much more difficult to extinguish a large fire.

Maintaining a Safe Campfire

While your campfire is burning, never leave it unattended! Despite other safety precautions, your campfire could spread from your fire pit. You need to be around to ensure your campfire doesn't spread.

Be careful of what you burn in your campfire. Try to stick to manageable pieces of firewood that easily fit within your fire pit. It is not a good idea to burn large logs that stick out past your fire pit. Also avoid burning fresh branches that give off excess sparks.

Properly Extinguishing Your Campfire

Before you go to sleep or when you leave the campsite, you must fully extinguish your campfire. First, douse the flames by pouring water on the fire. You are not done yet though. Just because you can't see flames, it does not mean the fire cannot reignite itself. There are usually still hot embers that will continue smoldering for hours. To deal with the embers, stir the coals and add more water. Then cover the coals with dirt or sand.

Conclusion

It is far too easy for a campfire to spread becoming a forest fire. When you are camping, it is your responsibility to protect the forest from your campfire. Follow these simple campfire safety rules and use your common sense. Sometimes it simply is not safe to have a campfire at all. If the forest is too dry and forest fire danger is high, there is often a ban on campfires. Respect these bans as they are for your own safety. Strong winds make for dangerous campfire conditions too. So use your own judgment if necessary. Do what you can to protect our forests.

Article Source: http://www.articleszoom.com About the Author : Check out Taiga Works for a wide variety of outdoor gear, including down sleeping bags and Gore-Tex jackets. Buy quality outdoor gear at discount prices.


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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Guidelines for Bathroom Remodelling

A bathroom of a house represents the hygiene, cleanliness and order of its residents. Old uninteresting tiles, cluttered boxes, and aged bathroom suite tells you that the time has come for a bathroom refurbishment. With the only notion of bathroom remodelling, so many thoughts start incurring our mind like whom to contact first, a plumber, an electrician, a decorator or a sanitary ware company. Where to shop from and what to buy and what sort of cost to expect and many such questions leave our mind baffled. A little planning with a modest awareness can ease down the task.

Budgeting

Scrutinize your pending credits and the forthcoming expenses for the month and then decide how much you can spend on bathroom refurbishment. Many refurbishment companies when contacted online can give you the remodelled bathroom design and the estimate of expenses on your email only. Many companies take the whole chore of refurbishment thus keeping you away from the tension of synchronising the tasks of a plumber, an electrician and the other skilled professionals. Moreover these companies may recommend the one stop shops accommodating your needs and suiting your pockets.

Create your own model

Before consulting any professional, give a closer friendly look to the entire bathroom and make some analysis like do the tiles really need to get replaced or the bathroom suite can come to life again just by repainting. Sometimes just small changes as that of lights, shower curtains, mirrors, rugs, doormats, wall hangings and sanitary accessories bring out the desired look. If it is the space that you find invaded in your bathroom, remove the extra boxing. Get the pipe work moved wherever possible to generate more space. Get the old tiles replaced by a combination of dark and light coloured tiles to give a spacious appearance.

Rebuilding

With grown up children or sometimes added members in the family, most of us find a need of an extra bathroom, especially females. Many smart people get the built in wardrobes or the under stairs storage converted in to a handy en-suite. The refurbishment professionals deal with such requirements on a daily basis and can recommend you a solution most suitable for your needs.

With these guidelines in mind you can attain a spanking new, unsoiled and roomy bathroom for your house.

Article by Joanna. Joanna is a well renowned Polish Journalist specialising in Polish, Russian and English translation services. She has been residing in th UK for 3 years where she has made her home among the Polish community in Tooting, South West London.

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