Safety during the back-to-school season is extremely important. The school year is a time when children are required to make some decisions for themselves and it is essential that they know which decisions are safe – and which are not.

Here are some safety tips for your kids to follow this school year:

Electrical safety.

• Never climb or play on electrical equipment or power boxes. These contain an extremely dangerous amount of electricity and are not child-proofed or safe to play on. In fact, not only can serious damage occur but, also serious injury and death. Don’t throw anything up onto power lines. This might be portrayed as a fun prank to play but, it is actually very dangerous and could cause the power line to come down.
• Don’t put anything into electrical outlets without an adult’s permission and/or supervision. Only electrical appliances with properly working and in-tact power cords should be plugged into an electrical outlet. Anything like pens, keys, coins, and scissors will cause serious injury, or worse.
• When you are unplugging an electrical appliance, make sure that you are doing so by holding onto the plug and pulling. Do not try to unplug an electrical item by pulling on the cord and trying to get the plug out of the outlet. Not only can this cause damage to the cord, making it dangerous to use. But, it can also cause injury for anyone who is standing near the cord – including yourself.

Bus safety.

• When you are walking to the bus stop, make sure to stay on the sidewalk and follow all traffic safety rules. Walking facing traffic and only cross the street in a crosswalk.
• Do not stand in the street when waiting for the bus to arrive. Stay on the sidewalk and stay back away from the curb.
• When you are riding on the bus, stay seated and stay respectful. Follow the rules that the bus driver has and do not do anything that could be a dangerous distraction.

The back-to-school season can be hectic and it is important to be vigilant about safety and safety measures. Make sure that your children know how to keep themselves safe by following these tips.