You should feel safe at home, and be able to relax, unwind and enjoy your family. However, dangers exist, and it is important to both understand and take action against them.
From falls to poisoning and fires, safety can be comprised for occupants of all ages. Follow these tips to ensure home safety.
1. Mitigate Risk of Falls
Falls are often viewed as unserious injuries. However, they are the second leading cause of accidental deaths in homes and communities, so we need to take them seriously. Prevent falls in your home:
- Unclutter, and clean up floors to prevent tripping.
- Install handrails and banisters on all staircases.
- Ensure stairs and other areas with uneven flooring are well lit.
- Place non-slip rug pads underneath all area rugs and runners.
- Maintain clear pathways. Shovel snow and salt ice as soon as possible.
- Install safety gates for homes with small children.
2. Avoid Smoke and Fire Accidents
Once a fire gets started, it can be difficult to contain, and fires have the ability to do damage in little time. In 2013, fires were responsible for $9.5 billion in property damage across the U.S., and a home structure fire was reported once every 85 seconds. To avoid becoming a part of this statistic, stay cognizant of the following:
- Don’t leave candles, fireplaces or any other open flame unattended.
- Keep open flames away from flammable objects.
- Avoid leaving the kitchen unattended when using the stove or oven.
- Maintain good grilling practices.
- Refrain from smoking indoors. (Smoking caused 20% of fires and 51% of deaths in incidents where flames were ignited in bedding or mattresses.)
- Have a warning system in place to inform you of a fire with enough time to evacuate the house.
3. Prevent Accidental Poisonings
Young children and elders are at greatest risk for accidental poising. Be smart about how you store potentially dangerous materials.
- Lock prescribed medication and household chemicals, and keep them out of reach of children.
- Monitor medicine cabinets. Forgetfulness is an unfortunate side effect of aging and doubling medication can be lethal. Ensure the safety of elderly family members by installing sensor technology.
- Have emergency numbers posted near phones and medicine cabinets for easy access. Include the police, hospital, family doctors and poison control.
How do you prevent home accidents? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Image Source: Injury Lawyers San Luis Obispo
