You’ll find many threats around your home that can be dangerous to anyone in your home. These threats are especially concerning for children and the elderly. The issues that can develop entail everything from slip hazards to electrical issues.
It is critical for you to be aware of all the threats that may persist around your home. Such threats can be dangerous to anyone, even those who might feel they are above some of these concerns.
The good news is that you can fix up your home to make it safer and less risky. This guide will help you identify many opportunities for fixing your home and keeping it safe for everyone. You’ll need to consider all of these points to ensure everyone in your house is protected.
Controlling Fire Hazards
A fire can start in many places around your home. Don’t assume that your kitchen is the only place in your home where a fire could start.
There are many points that may work when preventing fire hazards from being a threat in your home:
- Review all the heating sources around your home. Check on your furnace filters and pilot lights to ensure they are clean and safe. These should be monitored well to ensure they will not trigger hazards of various forms.
- Keep the kitchen open to where nothing hangs over your stove or other heat-producing appliances. This includes keeping pans and other forms of cookware, kitchen linens, and food products away from heat sources when not in use.
- Look at the electric cords around your home. Anything where the wires are exposed will need to be removed and replaced. Any damaged cord needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
- Unplug any electric cords that are producing an intense amount of heat. Such cords might be dangerous and cause fires.
- Don’t trap an electric cord behind your furniture or under a rug. The heat produced by the cord will be concentrated and intense.
- Watch for any open flames that might appear around your home. Keep all candles stored in safe areas where they are easy to observe and maintain. Anyone who smokes should be encouraged to do this outdoors or in an environment where there are no flammable materials.
Preventing Falls
Falls are painful and annoying, but they can be dangerous to certain people in your home. Seniors are more likely to experience traumatic injuries triggered by falls.
There are multiple tips that can be used to help you with preventing falls from occurring in your home:
- Keep the floors around your home dry. This point is especially critical for your kitchen and bathrooms.
- Check on how your rugs are secured while on the ground. The rugs should have enough backing materials to ensure the rug will not shift or move around.
- Install grab bars or rails around your steps and other areas that might be hard for people to walk through on their own.
- Look at how well your rugs are laid out and that nothing is sticking upward. You might need to get any rugs that have parts that stick outward repaired.
- Check on the quality of any bath mats you have near your bath or shower. The mat should feature a non-slip body. Make sure the mat is secured well near the bath or shower.
- Add lighting to all the places around your home. Make sure there’s enough lighting around to where people can see where they are going. Don’t forget to make the lighting control switching visible and easy for people to access as necessary.
- Review whatever step stool, ladders, or other features you have around your home. These features should be checked to ensure they won’t slip. Review their feet and clean them up to where they can stay firm.
- Always clean up anything around your home if you see it. Any toys that are left on the floor should be picked up immediately.
Managing Water Risks
Drowning is a more common concern that you should be aware of. Drownings can occur in homes with children, pets, or the elderly. These events can occur due to a property having open water sources all around, especially pools. There are a few things that can be done to prevent these water risks from being a concern:
- Never leave any children alone while bathing or swimming.
- Keep any gates you have for any pools at your property locked at all times. This ensures that children won’t be capable of getting in the pool while unsupervised.
- Do not leave any open containers of water around your home. These include cleaning buckets that children can get into and drown in.
- Always cover any hot tubs or saunas when not in use.
- Review the drains, covers, and other features around your pool. The suction features in these drains can cause a person to be stuck underwater if a cover breaks or malfunctions.
Preventing Suffocation
Suffocation is a more common threat than what you might expect in your home. Suffocation occurs when people are in tight spaces or areas where it might be difficult for them to breathe appropriately. There are a few things that can be done to prevent suffocation from being a threat:
- Add child-resistant locks on any appliances or other items that a child could get into and get stuck in.
- Keep all infants face-up on beds and other soft surfaces. This is critical to note when they are sleeping.
- Avoid placing any pillows or other overly bulky or soft items in your child’s crib. Your child could suffocate under those things.
- Review how well your child’s crib is organized. The crib should be designed to where the child will not get one’s head stuck in between its bars.
- Keep all plastic bags out of reach of children or pets. It may be difficult for a child or pet to get the bag off of one’s head.
Preventing Strangulation
Strangulation is another threat that may occur in your home. Strangulation can occur when a person gets stuck in something. There are multiple things that can be done to prevent strangulation from being a risk:
- Watch for the window cords around your windows. Keep all cords secured in places where others won’t reach them. Make sure the ends are tied up and not in looks as well, so your child will not become strangled on them.
- Keep all necklaces and other bits of jewelry secured from children or pets. This is to keep them from being strangled by some of the loose items found on these products.
- Look for all bags, purses, and other accessories with straps in your home. Keep them secured in your closest or another place where your child or pet will not reach them.
What to Do To Prevent Poisoning
There are many chemicals and compounds in your home that might be dangerous to people. These include cleaners and solvents that are used for very specific tasks. The risks involved can be significant, but you can prevent poisonings from happening in your home by using a few steps:
- Keep all your cleaning supplies and chemicals in cabinets that are high up to where your children won’t reach them. Many people keep their chemicals under the sink, but that is an area that is easy for kids to reach.
- Keep all medications and medicines away from your children. Make sure they know what those products are used for. Kids should not think that these products are candy, even if they look like it.
- Store all your batteries in secure places where children cannot find them. Children might think that batteries look like things that you can eat. These are not only poisonous but also choking hazards.
- Remove all family members from any rooms that you are using pesticides in. These include pest control spray items. Check on how long you need to keep your family members out of the room before they can return.
- Keep all your products in their original containers. Avoid storing poisoning items in items that were used for food storage. Someone could misinterpret the product and assume that it is safe to consume.
- Be aware of any medications or other medicines that are to be used in your home. Only use those products based on the rules for handling them. You can talk with your doctor if you have any other questions about these products.
Noting Choking Cases
Choking is a legitimate concern that should be taken seriously. Children are often at an elevated risk of choking due to their airways not being fully developed. The elderly may also struggle with digesting foods, especially if their health situations have worn out over time.
The good news is that you can prevent choking from occurring by doing a few things:
- Make sure any foods that you give to children or the elderly are small enough to where they can consume them without harm. Some foods might have to be cut up to make them easier to consume.
- Watch for how well your kids are chewing their foods. You need to train them to know how to chew their foods well enough, so they won’t try to swallow anything too significant.
- Have all people in the home sit down while eating. It is easier for a person to choke when someone is moving around while eating.
- Talk with your children about what items in the home are not safe for eating. Children might think that coins, buttons, and other random things they find around the house are edible. Make sure your kids know that these items are not safe for them to consume and that they should be discarded as soon as possible.
Toy Safety
The innocent toys that your kids play with can become dangerous. There are many things to do when ensuring your kids’ toys are safe:
- Avoid any toys with sharp or pointed features. These could hurt children in some cases.
- Watch for any toys that have small parts. These parts could become detached and become choking hazards.
- Try to find toys that do not require batteries. If you do have toys that use batteries, be sure the battery covers are fully secured and sealed to where your kids aren’t going to try and open them up.
- Look out for any toy chests or storage containers in your home. These storage spaces should be kept in places where your kids can’t get in them. They could get trapped and suffocate if they are not careful enough.
- Do not provide toys that can shoot out items. Toy guns and other items that can launch projectiles can be dangerous and can harm other people. Some of the plastic materials that these items can shoot out may be choking hazards.
- Any stuffed toys that your kids use should be checked based on how sturdy they are. Avoid anything that might be too harmful.
All of these points in this guide are critical to follow when aiming to ensure your home is safe. Be sure that you review how well your home is laid out and that everything in your home is organized to where nothing will be a risk of threat to you or anyone else in your home.