House Safety Checklist
- Believe it or not you have less risk of getting cut if your knife is sharp because you won't have to try to saw through something in order to cut it.
- Especially on doors and drawers that contain sharp objects and chemicals and cleaning supplies.
- Store sharp objects out of children's reach, in a cabinet or drawer with a childproof latch.
- Never leave the stove while you have something cooking. Inquisitive children can grab hold of the pot handle and spill the hot contents right onto their heads.
- Avoid slips and falls by cleaning up spills as soon as they happen.
- Never have chairs or anything else that children can climb on near the stove.
- Make sure all chemicals and cleaning products are stored safely out of childrens reach in a cupboard or cabinet with a childproof latch.
- Store plastic bags and garbage bags safely out of childrens reach, again, in a cabinet with a childproof latch.
- Unplug appliances and make sure the cords are out of reach of your children.
- Every kitchen should have a fire extinguisher near the stove but out of your children's reach. And make sure you know how to use it.
- Set your thermostat below 120 degrees F to prevent serious burns.
- Handrails aren't only for the elderly or infirm. Anyone can slip in the shower and if you reach for the soap dish to break your fall, you're just going to rip it right out of the wall on your way down.
- Slips and falls are the number one cause of accidents in the home. And most of them happen in the shower.
- Unplug and store all electrical appliances when not in use to avoid possible electrocution.
- If you have children in the home, make sure all of your medications have childproof caps and store them in a locked drawer or cabinet.
- Don't forget to store you bathroom chemicals and cleaners safely, too.
- If you're storing an old refrigerator or freezer, or even a large cooler that latches, in your garage, remove the doors so children can't become trapped inside.
- Garages are the number one storage place for chemicals and flammable products such as paints, paint remover, weed killer, oils, cleaning supplies, greases. Make sure everything is stored safely, away from any heat source and out of childrens reach.
- Never, ever, leave your power tools plugged in and within reach of your children. Always unplug them and store them out of reach.
- Install foam finger guards on your doors, especially doors that children will be using, to prevent their little fingers getting caught in the door.
- The number one cause of most stairway accidents is bad lighting. Make sure you have adequate lighting installed on all stairways.
- One of the top 5 accidents that happen in the home is falling out the window, especially when children are playing unsupervised. Always be sure to supervise children when you have a window open and consider installing a window wedge to prevent this horrible accident from happening.
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Most accidents happen right inside the home and because most of them could have been prevented with a little foresight, we've created this home safety checklist to help you look for those hidden hazards that you may have overlooked. You don't expect to have to be on your guard every minute of every day when you're in your own home. Your home is supposed to be your sanctuary from the cold, cruel world. The one place you can relax and let down your defenses. So we've created this home safety checklist to help you make your castle a little friendlier place to live.
Tips
But the U.S Home Safety Council estimates that 20,000 people die and 21 million people require medical care each year in the United States alone due to accidents that happen inside the home. A lot of these accidents could be prevented if people would just use their common sense. For example, everyone knows you should not use your barbecue grill in an enclosed space. You may either start a fire or be overcome by carbon monoxide fumes. Yet, according to the Insurance Information institute, grilling accidents cause more than 2,000 fires and at least 30 deaths every year in the United States. Some of the most common household accidents are also the easiest to prevent and the statistics are alarming. For example 150 people stab themselves everyday when trying to open a jar or a package with a knife. Nearly 30,000 people every year amputate a finger, generally because they get them caught in doors or drawers. And more than 60,000 people are hospitalized each year due to burn related injuries. And of those, at least 5,000 people die every year. Clearly, we’re taking the safety of our own homes for granted.
