There are endless amounts of accidents that can occur in your home, but nearly all of them are preventable with simple home safety measures. Taking steps to ensure your home is accident proof is particularly important if you have young children in the house. Children often get into trouble when playing with simple household appliances and features that adults wouldn’t view as at all dangerous. Here are a few ways to keep your home safe!
Electrical
Electrical issues can cause fires or electrocute someone. To avoid mishaps, always check for frayed or worn wires, never run cords under rugs or across walking paths, place plastic covers over unused outlets, and don’t overload the entire system or a single outlet with multiple power cords.
Emergency Equipment
It’s important to be prepared for an emergency situation, such as an electrical fire. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher at an easily accessible place in the home, maybe one on each floor. You might want to consider installing a sprinkler system as well. It’s also vital to have a working fire detector; many people don’t because they find it annoying when it accidentally go off, but that fire detector could save your life. In addition to a fire detector, you should also have a carbon monoxide detector. Test the alarms monthly and replace the batteries as often as suggested. Teach the entire family what the alarms sound like and develop an emergency plan for if the alarms detect something in the home; make sure you have two exit routes and a designated meeting place.
Heating
Routinely check the outside vents to make sure they aren’t blocked, which would cause carbon monoxide to build up. This is especially important after a snowstorm. If you use a stove to heat the home, make sure the chimney is regularly cleaned and free of debris that could start a fire. Keep a smoke detector installed near the stove and always make sure the doors are properly latched. Don’t allow children to use the stove unattended.
For Small Children
Small children are notorious for getting into places and things they shouldn’t. To avoid this issue, install child-proof locks on your cabinets, especially in the kitchen. Lock up all hazardous cleaning supplies, medicines, sharp knives, and guns to prevent children from trying to play with them. If you have a pool, make sure there’s a fence around it with a childproof gate. Finally, teach your children how to call 911 and what their address is.
Miscellaneous
Some final tips include keeping flammable objects and fluids away from any possible sources of ignition, such as the stovetop, a candle, or a wood stove. Make sure you have a source of light near stairs and use bright tape to indicate the bottom stair in the basement. Place nonslip mats in your bath and shower to avoid dangerous falls. Finally, keep some kind of emergency kit in convenient locations throughout the house. Have bottled water stored somewhere, first aid supplies, a charged flashlight, extra batteries, and portable chargers; you never know when this kit may come in handy.
