Child-proofing a home is an important job ...
and a business for one entrepreneur.

STEVE STEIN STAFF WRITER

Above:
Shoshana Wolf is
safe and sound in her
home.

Right:
Aaron Ozrovitr is
president of the Child
Safety Company.

hoshana Wolf is a typical 2-year-old.
Curious. Mischievous. Quicker than a
blink of her mother's eye.
That's why her parents, Phillip and
Cindy Wolf, have taken many mea-
sures to child-proof their 2,300-square-
foot West Bloomfield colonial with its
four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and finished base-
ment.
One of the steps they took just after moving
into the house in August was to hire Aaron
Ozrovitz, president of the Child Safety Company,
a home-based Southfield business.
Mr. Ozrovitz checks both new and lived-in
homes for possible child safety problems and
recommends solutions. •
Many of his ideas are common sense and can
be done by a family without costing a penny. Some
need the installation of devices, which Mr.
Ozrovitz will do if needed.
Mr. Ozrovitz generally charges $50 for a two-
hour safety inspection plus $20 for each addi-
tional hour. Those fees are taken off the labor
costs if Mr. Ozrovitz does work at the home.
In the Wolf household, gates prevent Shoshana
from getting into the living/dining room area
and stop her from climbing up and down
stairs.
When she is allowed on the stairs going to the
second floor, she can hang onto her own, child-
sized railing. A Plexiglass bannister guard stops
her from getting her head caught in the "adult"
railing.
Door jambs prevent Shoshana from slamming
her hand. Boards are in place between the wash-
er and dryer and the laundry room wall. Window
blinds are short, and the chains are far from the
ground. Valuables are out of reach. Electrical out-
lets are protected as are kitchen drawers, toilets,
floor vents and the VCR. The VCR?
"A couple of years ago, a young boy who lives
in the Detroit area got his hand caught inside a
VCR. When he tried to get it out, he accidental-
ly turned on the play button and he ended up los-
ing part of his finger," Mr. Ozrovitz said.

Also in the Wolf home, a bookcase in the family
room is bolted to the wall.
"Shoshana is a climber," Mrs. Wolf explained
as her daughter Shaina, 14, nodded in agreement.
There are carbon dioxide and smoke detectors
in the Wolf house and the water has been tested
for chlorine and lead.
Even though the Wolf home doesn't have one,
Mr. Ozrovitz offers a hearth guard for a fireplace.
"Without the safety devices in our home, I
would be a nervous wreck," Ms. Wolf admitted.
"When I go to friends' houses which aren't child-
proofed, I get nervous."
Mr. Ozrovitz, 31, who is single, has been run-
ning the Child Safety Company for four years.
He was involved in his family's Fairlane Drugs
chain before it was sold in 1990.
A Southfield-Lathrup High School and East-
ern Michigan University graduate, Mr. Ozrovitz
said he began the Child Safety Company after
a friend said he couldn't find professional help to
child-proof his home. Mr. Ozrovitz claims he is
the first company in the state to offer child-proof-
ing.
These days, Mr. Ozrovitz is calling on four to
five homes a week. He does much public speak-
ing on child safety and he has been interviewed
several times by radio and television reporters.
He is a member of the Michigan Association of
Home Builders and the National SAFE KIDS
Campaign.
Among the cost-free safety measures Mr.
Ozrovitz recommends parents undertake are re-
moving mobiles from a crib after a child is 6
months old; making sure the hot water temper-
ature in the house doesn't go higher than 120 de-
grees; checking to make sure toys aren't broken
or cracked; removing tags from garments; using
only plastic tube hangers; keeping buttons and
keys out of reach; tying plastic bags in knots when
throwing them out; making sure used disposable
razors, Q-tips and cotton balls are not accessible
to children; storing soaps and shampoos out of
reach in the bathroom; and not giving a child ac-
cess to house plants, many of which are toxic. ❑