Accidents can happen, right?
But why do so many have to happen? Well, part of the reason that sometimes more care can be taken to prevent them. It follows, then, that the more you know about home accident prevention, the less likely you or other family members are likely to become sick or injured.
Here are ten practical tips to get you started.
- Develop a fire escape plan, detailing two exits from every room and a safe family meeting place. Conduct your own fire drills on a regular basis at least until everyone has it down pat.
- Keep a well-stocked first aid kit handy and replenish or replace as needed.
- To guard against a black out, put together several things sure to come in handy, including bottled water, canned food, flashlights with extra batteries, blankets, and more.
- Equip your home with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and a small fire extinguisher. Learn how to use it and remember to replace it once it’s empty as they can’t be refilled.
- Use safety brackets to secure bookcases to the wall along with tall dressers, and other large, heavy objects.
- Keep poisonous and dangerous substances such as cleaning supplies and medications locked up and out of reach of children.
- Replace all standard electrical outlets with GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) models anywhere electricity and water can meet up.
- Make the bathroom a no-slip zone. Install grab bars and non-slip mats or appliques in the tub or shower. Use a bathmat with a nonskid bottom and clean up any water that splashes on floors right away.
- Safety-proof stairs. Remove clutter from stairs and walkways. Stairs inside and out should have handrails, preferably on both sides. Have good lighting over stairs.
- Clean up spills immediately. When there is a spill of liquids, grease, or anything else you could slip on clean it up as soon as possible to avoid falls.
Here’s another great safety tip. Contact Nero Air Conditioning & Heating to schedule preventive maintenance for your heating and cooling systems. Preventive maintenance enables your systems to perform more efficiently while also providing added home safety. That’s because we check all electrical connections to help prevent a fire, test for carbon monoxide and gas leaks, and more. It’s a service that should be performed once a year.
