Recognizing Hazards at Home

Tips for Recognizing Hazards at Home

Keeping Children Safe at Home

Get down to your child's level. This means looking at all the rooms in your home from a young child' s point of view. Get down on your hands and knees and see what they see when they are walking or crawling through the room. Be on the lookout for cords that are dangling down from a table or other higher surface and shorten them or put them in the different location so that a youngster won't be able to pull on them when trying to stand.

Look for sharp corners on furniture and put some padding on them. Are all of your electrical outlets being used? If not, put childproof caps on the exposed outlets to discourage a child from putting a finger or another object in them.

Since children also like to climb, make sure your book case or wall unit is securely attached to the wall. You don't want the child to pull the piece of furniture down over top of themselves if they are trying to reach for something on a shelf.

Check your walls for cracked and peeling paint. Children are curious and may try to eat it.

Cleaning products need to be stored in either a locked cabinet or one that is out of reach. Matches and lighters should also be stored in this way. Firearms should be kept in a locked cabinet at all times.

If children are too young to be going up and down stairs safely on their own, install child safety gates. If you are putting a gate at the top of the stairs, you will need to anchor it to the wall; use the spring-loaded style of gate at the bottom of the stairs.

Keeping Seniors Safe at Home

Older adults are also at increased risk for injuries that occur in the home. Make a point of doing a safety inspection to look for potential problems on a regular basis.

Examine electrical cords; any light or appliance with a frayed cord will need to be replaced.

Check step stools for cracks. Step up onto it yourself to see if it is sturdy. If you are not confident that the step stool is in good shape, then it should be disposed of immediately.

Slips and falls are a real safety concern in the home. You will want to make sure that steps and stairs are in good repair. Handrails should be kept in good repair. In colder months, make sure that outside stairs are kept free from ice and snow buildup.

Carpets need to be checked for raised portions or bumps; area rugs should have a non-slip mat underneath them.

The area near all stairs and walkways at the home should be well-lit and kept clear of objects that can cause a slip and fall.

Make sure that each level of the home has a working smoke detector. Change the batteries on a regular basis and keep track of the date this action was taken.

Your safety inspection should include the bathroom. Put a non-slip mat in the bathtub and install a grab bar as well. Check the medicine cabinet for medications and over-the-counter products that have expired and take them to a pharmacy so they can be disposed of properly; don't flush them down the toilet.

General Home Safety Tips

Recognizing hazards at home should be an ongoing process. Do a check for hazards on a regular basis.

If you find something in your home that needs to be repaired or disposed of for safety reasons, deal with it right away. Waiting to deal with it later on could have severe consequences if someone is hurt in the meantime.

Ask your local fire department to come to your home to do a safety inspection. They can provide you with safety tips and help you work up a plan to get out safely if a fire starts in your home.