Child’s death spurs warning

CHRISTCHURCH: The death of a preschooler in a front loader washing machine was a sad reminder for all parents to talk to their children about the dangers of everyday household appliances, safety specialists say.

The preschooler died in hospital on Friday after they were found unresponsive in a running washing machine at a home in Hoon Hay, Christchurch.

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and the death had been referred to the coroner.

Safekids Aotearoa director Mareta Hunt said washing machinerelated deaths were a rare occurrence in New Zealand but families could take measures to keep children safe.—

Lock the door to the laundry room and do not let young children play in the laundry room.

Keep the washing machine's door shut. Leaving the door open on frontloaders can help prevent mould, but if there are young children at home, keep the door closed.

Engage the washing machine's lockout feature. Many washers have a childlock feature, typically activated by holding a button or a combination of buttons down for a few seconds.

Use a childproof safety lock on the outside of a frontloader’s door. The concept is the same as a lock for cabinet or oven doors.

Shut off the water when the machine is not in use. Most frontloading washers stop running and show an error code if the water is off.

Consider installing a ‘‘master’’ switch — located out of sight and out of reach of small children — for the washing machine and another for the dryer that can be turned off when machines are not in use.