Today, IKEA Canada announced the launch of its Safer Home mobile app to raise awareness about home safety for families living with children. With the knowledge that majority of childhood injuries happen in the home, IKEA developed the app to support families to create a safer life at home and uncover often overlooked hazards. With the easy-to-use application, parents and caregivers can browse through different areas of the home for important safety tips, build to-do lists and track progress. Based on a child’s natural need to explore and develop, the app identifies safety risks by development stage and releases new content as safety needs evolve over time to help families stay one step ahead, from newborn to 7-year old.
“At IKEA, we want to take a leading role in empowering families to live a safer life at home,” said Michael Ward, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Canada. “The Safer Home app offers simple, straightforward steps that everyone can take to ensure their home is a safe environment for children.”
IKEA Canada has taken significant steps to contribute to a safer life at home for Canadians, including being the first retailer to only sell cordless blinds and raising awareness about the hazards of furniture tip-over through its Secure It! campaign. Within its product range, IKEA offers home safety and child safety products that are simple to install and use, and span throughout the home, including safety plugs and cupboard latches.
Product safety is a crucial part of the retailer’s product development and design process. IKEA puts a special focus on children’s products, which must meet the highest standards of quality and safety worldwide. These products are thoroughly tested and designed through the eyes of a child, so if products are used in a different way they are still safe and secure. Through the IKEA Child Safety First training programs, IKEA co-workers also spend time every year learning about children’s developmental needs, safety and health.
The IKEA Safer Home app is free to use and is now available for download via Google Play and the Apple App store. To further support home safety for Canadian families, IKEA will roll-out home safety workshops at IKEA Canada locations later this year.
