Originally Posted by CalCare:
I started off with caddies for my kids, but soon realized it was much easier for me to just put it in the cabinet and lock it every day. And in CA, yes, we cannot have anything unlocked that says "keep out of reach of children" on it. Which every soap etc does. They only allow one single soap dispenser on the counter for hand washing. Which I believe defeats the whole purpose of the rule since they can ingest that one bottle, right? So why not have three? (As in a shampoo and conditioner as well lol)
Technically only things considered poisons (things meant to kill like rat poison, bug spray etc) are required to be locked up. Everything else that says "keep out of the reach of children" just has to be "inaccessible".
Title 22 says ...
102417 OPERATION OF A FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME
(g) The home shall be free from defects or conditions which might endanger a child. Safety precautions shall include but not be limited to:
(4) Poisons, detergents, cleaning compounds, medicines, firearms and other items which could pose a
danger if readily available to children shall be stored where they are inaccessible to children.
(A) Storage areas for poisons, firearms and other dangerous weapons shall be locked.
The Title 22 Analyst
Interpretations Says ...
(g)(4) POLICY
Storage areas for poisons shall be locked. A lock is defined as: a key or combination operated mechanism used to fasten shut a door, lid, or the like. Child proof devises and
safety latches are not considered locks unless they are key or combination-operated. For purposes of the locking requirement, poison is defined to include only the most lethal substances, most often those designed specifically for killing, such as bug spray, rat poison, weed killer, etc.
A number of other common household items are clearly potentially hazardous to the health of children and need to be made inaccessible. Something which is inaccessible is capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all because of its location, or because of some kind of barrier or device that effectively prevents a child from getting to it. Placing an item in a cupboard above the refrigerator is considered to be making it inaccessible. A hook and eye latch on a cabinet or door, placed where a child would be unable to reach it would not be considered a lock (see above) but would be acceptable as a means of keeping items inaccessible. Products advertised as childproof devices or safety latches can be used to make
items inaccessible, as long as they are correctly installed, are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children and easy for an adult to install and use. Safety latches are not a guarantee of protection. No device is completely childproof: proper supervision is always
necessary and required.
PROCEDURE
Examples of hazardous materials which need to be kept out of reach of children include:
• Kitchen: all sharp utensils and cutlery, cleaning supplies, medicines, liquor cabinets, plastic bags, sharp or small things children can swallow, etc.
• Bathroom: shampoo, mouthwash, toothpaste, medicines, perfumes/lotions, cosmetics, solvents, etc.
• Garage and outdoors: solvents, gasoline, oil, turpentine, paint, sharp tools, lawnmowers, gardening tools, and any other possible danger to children, etc.