The NHS says that accidental injury is one of the biggest single causes of death in the UK for children over the age of one. More children die each year as a result of accidents than from illnesses such as leukaemia or meningitis. Many of the accidents that happen in and around the home could be avoided, it says: "By identifying and understanding potential accident risks in the home, it is possible to take some basic steps that will keep your children safe and give you peace of mind." Good retailers like you are in a perfect position to help customers understand the level of risk by talking at length with them about the layout of their home and their daily routine, before suggesting a range of products that offer some protection.

From fitting blank covers into empty sockets, to using safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs and covering sharp edges of furniture with protectors - your customers will require products that facilitate only the highest level of safety. The ROSPA suggests that fireguards be fitted to any open fireplace and large expanses of windows or glass have brightly coloured stickers applied to warn of potential danger. The organisation also suggests that parents use a securely fitted safety harness in a pram, pushchair or high chair; that safety gates comply with BS EN 1930: 2000 and smoke alarms BS EN 14604 2005, regularly checked. For full safety advice please visit the website at www.rospa.com.

From room and bath thermometers to heat reactive feeding equipment and first aid kits placed near the counter as ‘add on' sales, there are many products out there designed to ease concerns about safety. As a retailer, a full understanding of the range of safety products required for the home will help you to empower parents to make positive, potentially life saving changes. While no safety product is ever a substitute for adequate parental supervision and though we have covered only a small but vital selection of products here, there are so many more you could source for your shelves in addition to those that help promote safety outside of the home.

The Baby Products Association suggests that parents ask themselves a number of questions, including:

• WILL MY BABY BE SAFE USING THIS PRODUCT?
• HAS IT BEEN TESTED TO THE RELEVANT BRITISH, EUROPEAN OR INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS?
• DOES IT MEET THE REQUIRED EUROPEAN LEGISLATION?

As a retailer, it is vital that you can answer all of these questions, in addition to a host of others that focus on the individual concerned, before closing the sale. Your customers will be relying on you to sell only those products that are manufactured to the highest safety standards and to advise of their limitations in guarding against accidents.

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