Tips for Your Home Safety
Home safety is often overlooked: people feel secure enough in their homes that they often neglect basic accident prevention. Unfortunately accidents happen with amazing regularity in the home, especially in homes where children or the elderly reside. Taking steps towards fire safety, gun safety and general home safety can prevent accidents before they happen.
Bathroom Safety Tips
While reporting that most home accidents occur in the bathroom may seem like a cliché, it’s true. Water, slippery surfaces and a cramped space make the possibility of accidents all too likely, especially for the elderly or people with mobility problems. Falls in bathrooms are very common.
Children are especially at risk in bathrooms. A small child (or for that matter an adult) can drown in as little as two inches of water. Never leave a small child unattended in the bath. Similarly, only an adult should supervise young children in a bath. Never leave the supervision of a young child to an older sibling. Always remain within arms reach of a bathing child: a child may stand in the bath and then slip, resulting in head injuries.
Home safety in the bathroom also requires careful storage of any medications, bathroom cleaning supplies and even apparently harmless substances such as shampoo. All of the above should be out of reach of children. A locked medicine box goes a long way to ensuring home safety.
Bathroom safety tips include:
* installing safety products, such as grip bars, by toilets and in bathtubs
* keeping water heaters set to 120˚ F or lower
* never touching electric appliances when bathing
* storing bathroom electric appliances (hair dryers, etc) away from water
* using non-skid safety strips in bathtubs and shower stalls
* using toilet seat locks if toddlers are in the house
* using a non-skid bathmat.
Kitchen Safety Tips
Accident prevention in the kitchen relies on careful storage and cooking habits. General rules of thumb include observing basic kitchen fire safety techniques and keeping all flammable towels or objects away from the stove. To prevent burns, use clean kitchen safety gloves when taking items in or out of the oven (never use gloves that have soaked up oil, as they have a greater potential to catch fire) or water, as they will transmit heat.
A basic rule of fire safety is to never douse oil fires in water: the burning oil will float on the water. If a stovetop fire occurs, cover the pot with a lid to deprive the fire of oxygen. A good quality fire extinguisher is one of the most important safety products in or out of the kitchen. When looking for a fire extinguisher to keep at home, make sure the extinguisher is designed to douse oil-based fires.
Another important kitchen safety tip includes never leaving pots unattended. Point pan handles so they don’t stick out over the over the stove’s edge where people may snag on them as they pass or children may grab them. Instead, position the handles so they point inward (but not over hot elements).
Accident prevention also includes storing knives, blenders and other sharp utensils well out of the reach of small children. Child safety latches or similar safety products should be installed on all cabinets, especially if the cabinet contains cleaning supplies.
Hazardous Material Safety Tips
The home abounds in hazardous substances: cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, medications, paint and cosmetics may be poisonous if ingested. Small children tend to put all sorts of bizarre objects in their mouths Keep all hazardous materials securely under lock and key to prevent accidental poisoning. Along with medications and cleansers, alcohol is also toxic to children in quite small amounts and should, therefore, also be securely locked away.
Store medications, vitamins and herbal supplements in locked medicine boxes. The bathroom medicine cabinet isn’t the best place for medication: it’s generally too hot and humid. Most medications do better stored in cool, dry places, such as the top shelf of an adult’s bedroom closet.
Home safety and accident prevention require careful use of household cleaners. Always use cleaners as directed by the manufacturer. Allow for adequate ventilation, as many cleaners give off toxic fumes. A lesser known safety precaution is to never mix two different cleaners together: chemical reactions can occur that produce extremely caustic and poisonous gases. Keep the phone number of the local Poison Response center in an easy-to-find place.
Fire Safety Tips
Fire safety is one of the most important areas of home safety and accident prevention. It is vital that children be educated about fire safety and learn to respect fire’s potential destructiveness. Here are some fire safety tips:
* Arrange a meeting place outside the house in case of fire.
* Have chimneys cleaned periodically.
* Crawl under smoke to avoid toxic fumes in the event of a fire.
* Install carbon monoxide detectors in addition to smoke detectors.
* Install smoke detectors and check the batteries every six months.
* Keep cigarettes, matches and lighters away from children.
* Never leave small children unattended near fireplaces.
* Practice fire safety drills with the family so every one knows how to respond to a fire.
* Purchase a fire extinguisher and periodically check its expiration date.
* Store gasoline or flammable substances outside of the home under lock and key.
* Use glass or metal fire guards in front of fireplaces.
With a little forethought and planning, accident prevention strategies can make the home a much safer environment for everyone.