Safety solutions needed

[sing-low]

Hi

I had my pre-reg visit on Tuesday (passed ;))and there were a number of things that the Inspector flagged up as needing attention and I wondered if anyone had any ideas how I could resolve them? I slept fine before the inspection but have been awake the past few nights worrying about these things!

Firstly, I have an upright piano in my playroom. There is nowhere else for it to go and my daughter plays so it has to stay. It has a lock but I don't have a key for it. The lid needs to be secured to prevent children closing it on their fingers. It is an old piano and I do not want to put glue on it so sticking a safety lock on isn't an option. I've thought of using a bungee cord going from one side of the lid from the other but that poses other risks. Any ideas? I could possibly get a locksmith to replace the lock or fit a key but that won't be cheap.

And does anyone have ideas about how to make a drainpipe that ends above a drain inaccessible? Can you get drain covers with holes in them for pipes (it's a 15cm square drain cover)? And locking up hosepipes (a strangulation risk)?

Any ideas appreciated, thanks, Rachel

[moggy]

Hi

I had my pre-reg visit on Tuesday (passed ;))and there were a number of things that the Inspector flagged up as needing attention and I wondered if anyone had any ideas how I could resolve them? I slept fine before the inspection but have been awake the past few nights worrying about these things!

Firstly, I have an upright piano in my playroom. There is nowhere else for it to go and my daughter plays so it has to stay. It has a lock but I don't have a key for it. The lid needs to be secured to prevent children closing it on their fingers. It is an old piano and I do not want to put glue on it so sticking a safety lock on isn't an option. I've thought of using a bungee cord going from one side of the lid from the other but that poses other risks. Any ideas? I could possibly get a locksmith to replace the lock or fit a key but that won't be cheap.

And does anyone have ideas about how to make a drainpipe that ends above a drain inaccessible? Can you get drain covers with holes in them for pipes (it's a 15cm square drain cover)? And locking up hosepipes (a strangulation risk)?

Any ideas appreciated, thanks, Rachel

Oh my word, were these written down? They are sooo picky, I would stop worrying.

We have a piano, an old one, with no key. Of course I leave it open all the time- they all love playing it. No one has ever trapped their fingers, to do that they would have to be tall enough to get hands on the top of the fold-down lid and if they are that tall they are also old enough to learn how not to trap ones fingers! Ours has a music stand bit that goes over the keyboard lid and that also stops it coming down easily. If you really want to do something I would put stoppers on the bottom edge of the lid so if it did come down it would not crush fingers. But even that is too far.

Drainpipe- would you allow young children near it with no supervision? If so then you may want to get a cover. But if it is a supervised area then no, you are supervising and will teach children not to poke arm up drainpipe.

Locking up hospipe??!! Crazy. It is great fun to play with, with supervision. Would you let them have unsupervised access? No? then you are fine. Mine is on a reel. I would not leave it all over the patio due to tripping hazard.

[loocyloo]

hmmm we had an upright piano, and now have a baby grand ( not as good as that sounds! needs major refurb! ) and the children just have had to learn NOT to lift the lid if it is down, OR if it is up, not to fiddle with it! i've had a piano around ever since i started minding and no one has squished their fingers! ( bet someone does this afternoon now! )

no idea about drainpipes, but i'm sure you can get drain covers with holes in! go and ask at wickes or a local diy store.

my hosepipe is on one of those wheel things that is fixed to the wall and the hosepipe winds round it. the LO love to pull the end and run with it and watch it unroll, then we wind it back in! ( Dh would not be impressed if he thought we used the wheel as a toy:rolleyes: :D)

[sing-low]

Wow, quick answers, must be nap-time! :)

The garden stuff was all based around "what if there's an emergency and you have to leave them unsupervised?" My plan is to NEVER let any child alone in the garden. Maybe I just need a better reply about how I would quickly get all the children inside if I needed to? I'm not good at thinking on my feet.

[moggy]

Wow, quick answers, must be nap-time! :)

The garden stuff was all based around "what if there's an emergency and you have to leave them unsupervised?" My plan is to NEVER let any child alone in the garden. Maybe I just need a better reply about how I would quickly get all the children inside if I needed to? I'm not good at thinking on my feet.

???!!! What emergency would make you leave children unsupervised in garden?...
Fire?- I'd be scooping up children and all out the side gate.
Phone/doorbell?- not an emergency, leave it.
Child indoors needing help? No- we are either all in or all out.
...It sounds like a daft question if you ask me. I would not stress about it. Risk assess yourself so you are satisfied and move on.

[phoenix2010]

piano - parcel tape down the lid
drain , tights over the end and a heavy duty elastic band to hold in place
hosepipe - hang up out of reach or wind round a reel and use parcel tape to fix the end down

can you tell i like parcel tape :D

[linda2girls]

On the piano lid, how about using the foam grippers that you can use on doors to stop them closing and fingers getting trapped (sorry, not sure how to describe them!).

Linda.

[loocyloo]

On the piano lid, how about using the foam grippers that you can use on doors to stop them closing and fingers getting trapped (sorry, not sure how to describe them!).

Linda.

i've just tried !!!! but it means my lid won't stay open! i did try putting them over the sides so that if the lid fell down, it wouldn't squidge fingers, but they kept pinging off!

good idea though. might work for some pianos.

[MessybutHappy]

As you'll only need it when you have children tall enough, could you have something heavy ish on the lid to hold it closed until they are old enough to learn not to open it?

Ignore the other two. Silly. We'll be stringing up mosquito nets soon to stop the risk of bee stings!!! If a child plays with the rainwater drain they are told not to and their hands are washed. And I can't get my hose pipe to coil up neatly, so can't see the strangulation risk even if I did leave the child alone with it...which I won't!!!

I don't mean to sound sharp, I just think there are far bigger things to think about and you shouldn't be made to feel this worried!

[MiniKins]

Buy a new key ~ are piano lock keys not all the same?

Piano Lock Key - Limited Offer - Standard Size - Fits Most Upright Piano Locks | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Piano-Lock-Key-Limited-Offer-Standard-Size-Fits-Most-Upright-Piano-Locks-/251259084614?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Keyboard_RL&hash=item3a80355f46)

I'd ask a music shop just to make sure as I think there a couple of different styles, or ask a friend if they have a key you could borrow as a test.

[Kiddleywinks]

Can you get fabric covers for piano's - like you get for patio furniture and BBQ's? Or - bit drastic but definitely cheap - unscrew the hinges and remove the lid?

(Personally I'd be teaching children not to touch things but that's just me :rolleyes:)

[sing-low]

Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions and also for the advice not to worry. I have 3 children of my own so it's not like I'm new at the children needing to be safe thing. My philosophy is also to teach children not to touch, and that worked with mine but I know for some it wouldn't or would be just too energy/time-consuming.

I will try out various solutions and report back!

[sarah707]

You might be able to cut a piece of pipe lagging to go along the length of the piano cover...

you can get drain covers in different shapes and sizes - this is a biggie for most Ofsted inspectors because of the contamination risk so it's worth a trip to B & Q.

My partner put our hosepipe on the wall coiled round 2 big hooks but we don't lock it up. it's never been a problem.

different inspectors do look for different things - but if you get the same one back s/he will expect you to have dealt with the issues that were pointed out during your pre-reg.

hope this helps! :D

[blue bear]

No idea on the piano.
You can buy drain covers with holes cut out for the down pipe, neighbour has one.
Either hang your hose pipe up out of reach or put it on a reel which is what we have done after many years of a loose pipe on a string up on a high nail in the wall.