Work from home? If you don’t odds are you know plenty of people who do! I’ve been working from home for years. My husband? Is set to start working from home soon too.

 As we readied a workspace for him, I began wondering about office safety. (Children seem to view a home office as being some sort of paperclip, magic marker wonderland – especially if they discover you’ve been hiding yummy snacks in one of your desk drawers!)  I dug up some great tips worth a mention.

*Keep your work space off-limits to children unless supervised by an adult. If you have an entire room devoted to your home office, you might want to install a door lock and keep the office locked when not in use. (Imagine you sleep in a bit on Saturday morning. Your child gets bored watching cartoons, remembers the big bag of rubber bands in your supply closet, but then finds a power cord long enough to jump rope with… You get the picture, yes?)

*If children ever see you using a shredder, they will immediately hound you to give it a whirl. Because really, how cool are they? (Another reason why you need that door lock but I digress.) When purchasing a paper shredder, look for one with safety features to protect children and large pets from injury.  Unplug shredders and other office equipment when not in use.

*Keep scissors, letters openers and all sharp office supplies in a drawer and out of harm’s reach. If you don’t have a lock on your office door, you might want to keep these in a locked drawer. You know, along with the candy or Girl Scout cookies you’ve been hoarding. 

*Install safety covers in unused electrical outlets.

*Make sure all electrical cords are not cracked or worn and in good condition. (This reminds me. Make sure your teething puppy or bored kitten doesn’t run into this room either. Not just for your pet’s safety but because sometimes replacement equipment can be difficult to find or costly. And yes, this comes from some recent personal experience.)

*Look for certification labels from an independent testing laboratory such as ETL or UL when using extension cords, power strips and surge protectors or other electronic equipment.

*Store printers and ink cartridges in a high cabinet out of a child’s reach. (Because dude, that’s mess you just don’t want!)

*Ensure taller bookcases are bolted to the wall. Children love to climb and seem to equate bookshelves with indoor jungle gyms. Shelves can tip over. Don’t let children climb on any furniture for that matter.

Thanks to Fellowes who provided some of the info you see here. (And if you’re in the market for a super-awesome shredder check out this link.)