According to the National Safety Council, more than 146,000 people died in unintentional accidents in 2015. The research showed that many of those accidents happened on personal properties, in people’s homes. This fall, it is important to conduct a safety check of your home. Especially as the holidays approach and family members stop by, you can keep your guests safe and comfortable by accident-proofing your home. In general, there are 3 main categories you should include in your safety check. These include fire hazards, slip and fall hazards, and firearm hazards. By inspecting your home for these threats, you can help avoid an accident and keep you and your loved ones safe.
The safety check of your home should involve:
- Fire hazards. It is important to make sure your home is free of fire hazards, and to also make sure it has properly installed fire and smoke alarms in every room. This can help keep your home safe and secure in case of a fire.
- Electrical wiring. Faulty or old wiring can cause electrical fires. Thus, you should replace old circuit breakers, and install safeguards to your system to prevent a fire.
- Lint in clothes dryers. Lint buildup in clothes dryers is another common cause of house fires. It is important to clean the lint trap after every use, and to clean the vent pipe at least once every 3 months.
- Fireplaces. If you have fireplaces in your home, make sure to keep them clean. You should avoid putting up flammable decorations near the fire, and to have the fireplace regularly inspected to make sure it is properly vented.
- Clutter in the kitchen. The kitchen is where many hot objects are, such as stoves and ovens. If there is an excessive amount of clutter in the kitchen, such as towels, napkins, cookbooks, and pot holders, the chances of a fire skyrocket. It is important to keep your kitchen free and clear of clutter, especially around the areas where there is a heat source.
- Sawdust. Sawdust from woodwork or construction is a major fire hazard and is very flammable. It is important to use a specially designed vacuum to clean up sawdust after installing furniture, and to avoid using compressed air to blow the sawdust, as this could cause a fire.
- Slip and fall hazards. Slip and fall accidents result in around 8 million emergency room visits each year in the United States. Furthermore, it is estimated that nearly half of all accidental fatalities in the home are caused by slip and falls. With the risk so high, it is important to keep your home accident-proof against slip and fall hazards.
- Walkways. Falls on walkways are a leading cause of injuries in the home. Slick walkways from ice, snow, or rain can cause a slip and fall accident. In order to make your walkways safer, you should shovel off all snow and ice, put down salt if necessary, and make sure bushes and greenery are trimmed back to allow plenty of room to walk. You should also make sure tiles and stones are level, and put a warning sign by hard-to-notice steps. This can help your guests safely navigate the walkways around your home.
- Clutter. You should not only tidy up the outside area of your house, but you should also make sure the inside of your home is clutter-free. This includes putting toys, electronic cords, trash, and other objects away from places where people walk. Cluttered paths and messy areas in and around your home can make it dangerous for your guests to travel, especially at night.
- Lighting. You should make sure there is adequate lighting in every room in your house. This may involve replacing bulbs, adding new lamps, and making sure emergency lighting sources such as flashlights are easily accessible. You should also check the outside lighting and install extra lights if necessary to help your guests see better at night.
- Clothing. Wearing loose clothing that drags on the ground can endanger your guests. Furthermore, wearing socks that lack sticky pads can make it easy to slip on hardwood or tile floors. Encourage your guests to wear comfortable and properly fitted clothing, and to wear slippers with traction instead of socks.
- Firearm hazards. Statistics show that living with a gun in the home increases the chance of an unintentional gunshot injury. Firearm owners should exercise extreme caution when storing their guns, especially if children are in the house. In general, there are a few guidelines you can follow to increase the safety of everyone in your home.
- Keep the firearms unloaded at all times. Any gun in the home should be completely unloaded. Owners can help protect themselves and others by unloading and checking the chamber of every gun before storing it.
- Keep the firearms locked and separated from ammunition. Guns and ammunition should be stored in separate locations in the home. Whether you use a locked cabinet, lock box, gun vault, or other type of storage case, you should make sure each gun is locked and kept out of reach of children.
- Use a gun locking device for extra protection. In addition to locked storage, you may use a gun locking device as an extra safety measure. You can get locking devices for a variety of firearms. This can ensure that, if a child or someone else does gain access to the gun, it will still be locked and unable to fire and cause injury.
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