Childproof your home office

Working from home is great for people with kids, but the only problem is keeping the kids out of the room and keeping them from causing havoc amongst your important papers and leaving sticky hand prints all over your books and computer.

There is also the danger aspect, as younger children could hurt themselves while exploring your home office, so it’s important to make sure that your home office spaces are as child, and also pet, safe as possible.

Start by packing away all the small bits and pieces like paper clips, rubber bands, glue and thumb tacks. This seemingly innocuous item could prove hazardous, even fatal, to small children.

Secure everything that could topple over on your child and secure corner cushions to office furniture’s dangerous edges.

Secure all electrical cords and wires in and near the office. These can be taped or stapled down as close to walls as possible to decrease the chance that people will trip over them, or pets will chew them.

Cover all the electrical output points, as you would in the rest of the house when you have a baby or toddler on the loose.

Move you PC and its tower to higher ground to protect it from sticky hands or the possibility of having something jammed into the disk drive.

Use your computer's security features; get in the habit of logging off so no one can use the computer without logging in. Children will bash the keys on your keyboard if the screen responds, and even if it doesn’t, so don’t leave your documents in an accessible mode.

Most home insurance or business insurance policies don’t pay out for damage called by your own children, so childproof what you can, and find yourself a good business and home insurance provider.

Please note that Churchill does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of the article above.