Home Safety Basics

How safe is your home? Do you feel secure when you walk through your front door? No one wants to think of the unthinkable, having a loved one killed or injured in a home accident, but in order to increase your safety it needs to be on your mind. However, accidents happen in almost every home and most are preventable. With just a few basic precautions a homeowner can keep their loved ones safe and sound behind the custom doors you’ve invested in.

Know the Leading Causes of Accident

Do you know what causes most accidental deaths in homes? It might surprise you.

1. Falls

Falling causes more deaths and injuries than anything else each year. An easy solution to this is to install grab bars in shower and tub areas and banisters that are tall enough to keep children from falling.

2. Poisoning

Most poisoning deaths are accidental. People on a prescription medicine take an over the counter drug to treat an allergy or cough, maybe have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer with friends, and suddenly their body is overwhelmed with a toxic cocktail of chemicals. Make sure that all prescription and over-the-counter drugs are out of the reach of children and if you are on any kind of medication and what to know if it’s safe to take an over-the-counter medicine as well, give the poison help hotline a call at (800) 222-1222, they can tell you if your medicines will cause negative reactions

3. Fire and Burns

Many fire deaths could be avoided with working fire alarms and a knowledge of house exits. We usually believe that everyone is familiar with how to get in and out of the house, but does your family know how to get out fast in an emergency? For optimum safety, change the batteries in your alarms and do emergency drills with your family 2 or 3 times a year. Your children will be better prepared in an emergency if they have practiced exactly what to do when one happens.

4. Airway Obstruction

Choking, suffocation, and strangulation-most of which happen to children and infants-is the fourth leading cause of accidental death at home. This is largely preventable. Make sure there are no tiny items in children’s crib and play area, use mylar balloons instead of latex ones, cut hot dogs into very small pieces, and lay children on their back to sleep. Be sure that chord for window blinds are trimmed to the proper length, not left long or just tied up. Taking the time to remove as many choking hazards as possible could save a life

5. Water

Drowning can happen in more places than a pool. Bathtubs, anywhere with an inch or two of standing water, a blocked gutter, can all create a place where a young child could easily fall and be unable to get up and be able to breath. If you have a pool, be sure to surround it with a fence, at least 4 feet high, with a locked gate. If you are near water with your child practice what experts call “touch supervision”, always have young children within touching distance.

Enjoy a Safe Summer

Not all accidents can be prevented, but many can. Consider getting your entire family in on the effort to make your home a safe spot. Have young children draw maps for their “escape route” in a fire or other emergency. Throw out old medicine, put current ones up high, and ask for help removing small items from areas where infants play. Spending just a little bit of time on safety will go a long way towards your peace of mind.

Images courtesy of accidentshome.blogspot, poisoncentres.echa.europa, blog.penfedrealty, bananamoonfranchise, capt.org, and .prnewswire

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