Feb 17

House Dangers Being Ignored Has Deadly Consequences

House Dangers are Taking More Lives Each Year

Each year the number of injuries that occur in and around homes all across the nation continues to rise. The increase is actually quite alarming considering the fact that with the staggering statistics annually, individuals and families still seem to be disregarding the house dangers that are constantly causing these injuries. The statistics for injuries within the home each year on average are; 20,000 deaths, over 7million injuries resulting in permanent disability and just over 20 million trips to the ER. These numbers do not lie. There is a growing problem within America’s households. It is killing, crippling and causing minor to severe injury to our families. Yet Americans are still ignoring the need to eradicate these house dangers from their home, and create a safer environment for themselves and their families. The question is…..WHY?

Why are these injuries and deaths not shaking the family unit to its very core and pushing each household to action? Why are American families overlooking the potential crippling and killing accidents and mishaps as if they are immune to them?

Actually, the answer to this question could fall directly at the feet of the current head of household who may not be as aware of the potential house dangers lurking around every corner. If lack of information and education is the issue behind the overwhelming statistics reported each year, then it has become way past time for this to change. It is time for parents and their children alike to create a plan, identify potential problems and take on house dangers head on to make their home as safe as possible.

House Dangers to Look For

The very first step in creating a much safer home and working together to lower the statistics and preventing yourself, or a loved one, from becoming one of those statistics is to seek out house dangers before they arise. To effectively eliminate potential dangers, one must know what to look for. The best advice here is to begin at the very first entry point of the home and work your way through. Keep a notebook and pen in hand and write down any possible areas of concern that may require a bit of work. In the event you should uncover a house danger that may need attention, like for instance an electrical problem, either leave a note such as “DO NOT USE” or “OUT OF ORDER”, until you can return later with the proper tools and repair the problem, or if needed, call and have a professional repairman come out and fix the issue. You may also wish to consider disabling anything that might pose a threat to anyone. Over 200 deaths per year happen within the home as the result of electrocutions. If your home has a garage, inspect the garage door’s safety mechanism to ensure that the door will stop if an object was to become trapped underneath. According to the U.S. Product and Consumer Safety Commission, 30,000 injuries each year are caused by garage doors that have worn out, or faulty safety springs and sensors that will release or stop the door in the event an individual was to become caught under the door. Of those 30,000, most were children.

As you begin up the steps to your front door, notice if there is a need for a step to be replaced, if wooden, or if concrete, have the steps become cracked or broken. Thousands of hospital trips are due to front steps breaking, or becoming unbalanced and creating issues causing falls. The kitchen is another area to pay close attention for house dangers. Make sure that the smoke and/or fire alarms in the kitchen and the adjoining rooms are working properly. Create a habit within the home that anyone cooking should always keep pot handles turned away from the outside of the stove. This will eliminate the potential for grease and oil burns from flipping the pan by accident. Check to be sure all stove eyes are working, free of burnt debris and inspect the indicator lights on the knobs for proper indication of the stove being “ON”, or “OFF”. Accidental fires from forgetting to turn off the stove is as heartbreaking as it is dangerous.

House Dangers Involving Elderly

More and more families have their elderly parents living in the home with them. Either providing assistance in raising of the children, having moved away and taking the parents/grandparents along, or simply they are in no condition to care for themselves any longer. Whatever the reason, it is an obligation to them to ensure they are kept safe and their needs have been taken into consideration as well. This involves having hand-rails installed in the shower and beside the toilet. Any stairs that lead into or out of the home, garage, bedroom, etc. Keep any medications that are being taken by an elderly parent separate from the other medicines as to not confuse them and so the elderly parent won’t mistakenly take the wrong medication as well. Have a list of their doctors, and the specialties of each, (i.e. Dr. Brown/ Heart specialist; Dr. Black/ Podiatrist, so on). Create a family awareness of any medical emergency that could arise, as well as the location of medicines such as nitroglycerin pills, defibrillation machines and how to operate them, and any insurance or Medicaid/Medicare information that may be asked for by a physician or emergency technician.

Remember, the statistics are not overrated. House dangers are seriously causing more and more death and injury each and every year. Take notice. Take charge and don’t let you or a loved one be a statistic. Eliminate house dangers before they happen.

Nov 19

Ways of Making your Home Safer

A home should be a safe place to live. This gives you a feeling of ease when you know that your family is living in a safe place. To make your home the safest place to live you will need to try to make it free of accidents. It is important to always keep you home safe and secure. There are a few ways of making your home safer to keep accidents from occurring in your home. This will help protect your family and friends in your home. Making your home safer if not hard to do if you follow a few of these suggestions.

It is important when you have electrical problems to not put them off for any amount of time. They should be first priority for safety reasons. If you use electrical appliances, make sure they are shut off after use. Keep dark areas in the home whether it is day or night lit up well. Areas such as stairs and main walkways should always have plenty of light. Always put smoke alarms up in your home. Have your family learn safety drills and make them aware of what they need to do in case of a fire. Check your door locks to make sure that they work properly and are the safest type of locks that you can provide for your home. Make sure that your window locks are safe and tamper proof. Let your children know how important it is to never let strange people come into your home. Watch your children around appliances and electrical outlets. You can childproof many items in your home to make them safer. Keep items that are sharp out of reach of your children and other items put away that could harm them.
If your home needs repairs or maintenance done repairing them as quickly as possible will help to prevent accidents. If you have an appliance that is in need of repair, do not try to take on the job yourself as this may require a skilled technician. Any kind of outdoor equipment is not safe to work on unless you are a skilled professional that have been trained to fix lawnmowers and other equipment. Many accidents have occurred by working on outdoor equipment. Making your home safer may mean that you must be extra cautious when pulling up at your home and when pulling away. Children and pets could be close by and you must always look carefully when backing up your car. One last thing for making your home safer is to put away items left lying on the floor. Make sure all the pathways in your home are clutter free. This will prevent people from tripping and falling down. Watch where you place rugs in your home and if you have children, make sure their toys are picked up. Outside clear off your walkways of ice and snow to prevent slipping and falling. These are some of the things that you can do to make your home safer.

Apr 12

How To Prevent Accidents In The Home

Accidents in the home can be prevented. Unfortunately for many of us,
instead of being the safest place, it has become a place where most accidents are likely to occur which is not a good thing at all. Everyone in the home should be aware of all dangers in the home and by doing this, all accidents can be avoided. It is important to make sure that all critical areas that can become potentially dangerous are safely maintained at all times. Let us look at some of the areas that need serious consideration.

Areas near fire places

Fire is one of the most dangerous accidents in the home. A small and simple fire can cause a lot of damage to furniture and other valuables in the home. To keep off from fire accidents, it is important to maintain a lot of caution. The best way to do this is to keep all heaters and fire places well covered at all times, keep all candles and heaters away from curtains and furniture. It is also important to note that the candles need to be kept in places they cannot be knocked over. Pans and any other things cooking should not be left unattended in the kitchen because they can very quickly start a fire.

Areas near electricity connection

Many accidents in the home involve electricity. To avoid such accidents, it is important to make sure that all areas that have electrical wiring are checked for installation at least one time in every five years by a licensed contractor. When using electricity, it is also very important to avoid overloading any socket as it may lead to an upsurge. It is also a good safety precaution to keep all portable main appliances out of the bathroom and other wet areas in the house.

All heating and cooking areas

This is also another very accident prone area in many homes. The first and foremost thing is to make sure that the area does not have a slippery floor. It is also very important to make sure that storage areas are planned carefully such that heavy items are not kept o high shelves. Knives and other sharp objects should also be kept at a far distance in the kitchen where they cannot pose any potential danger to either children or the elderly. If at any time there is a suspected gas leak, then it is only important that windows are turned off and the local gas supplier contacted. No switches should be operated as they can all lead to a potential fire outbreak.

Areas where medicines are kept.

These are also very potential accident outbreak places and they should be treated with a lot of care. All medicines and chemicals should at all times be kept in lockable cabinets in the kitchen and only in their original containers which are clearly labelled. Perfumes and cosmetics should also be kept away from children’s reach at all times. All said and done, if every homeowner maintains the above mentioned safety procedures at all times, then having better and more accident free homes will not be a hard thing at all.

Mar 21

Improving Home Safety

Your home is supposed to be that safe and comfortable haven where you withdraw from the pressures of work and life in general and find peace and solace in your own comfortable zone. As such, it needs to be a place in which your safety and that of your loved ones is guaranteed. Unfortunately for most people around the world, the home is not always the safest place to be. The number of deaths, injuries and other accidents that are reported from such homes every year underline the need to have some home safety measures implemented in these homes, if they are to live up to what is required of them.

Most of the reported cases of home injuries and deaths result from accidents and events that could easily have been avoided if some elementary home safety precautions were taken. For instance, one of the leading causes of the destruction of homes around the world and perhaps also the main cause of deaths occurring in the homes is fire. Many people all over the world have lost life and limbs to household fires which experts, upon examination, believe could have been avoided or easily contained if the right measures were taken in good time. Most of the fires in the home result from negligence on the part of the home owners such as failing to turn off a gas supply or dropping burning cigarettes at the wrong places. However, there are also a number of fires in the homes that result from unpredictable and unpreventable causes such as electrical defaults or arson by unknown individuals. In either case, you can increase your own home safety by implementing various measures that are designed to help you deal with the problems of fire, if and when they should occur, thereby making your own home a much safer place.

One home safety measure that has proved very effective in the past in helping families and other home owners deal with the problems of fires in the home is the installation of various fire detection and firefighting equipment within the home. You should have devices such as smoke detectors installed in your home which set off an alarm and alert you when excessive or unnatural content of smoke is detected in the house indicating a fire. In addition, you should have firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets in the house to increase your home safety. Such equipment will help you detect and fight off fires in the home before they get too aggravated and cause damage both to people and property.

Besides fires, you also need to increase your home safety by securing you and your loved ones and property against intruders who may wish to destroy, harm or steal any of these. The best way to do this would be by installing a number of home security measures that are designed to bar intruders from entering your home and, in the event that they do manage to enter, to detect their presence and inform both you and the authorities. For this aspect of home safety, burglar proof doors, security cameras and guards as well as security alarms would be ideal investments for the home.