They say that your home should be your sanctuary. But do you ever walk around your home and worry about your family’s safety?
Have you ever stubbed your toe on a tie? Has your spouse tripped on the stairs? Are you always worried that children might injure themselves somewhere in the home?
Many of us don’t realize the home safety hazards that exist within our humble abodes. But at-home injuries can happen at any moment and can have lifelong consequences.
Your goal is to stop injuries from happening before they occur. To do so, you have to take precautions to minimize the risk of home hazards.
Keep reading to learn about the most common dangers around the home and what you can do about them.
Poisoning
If you have young children or infants around the house, poisoning should be one of your biggest concerns. There’s always the risk of them getting poisoned through a variety of means. This can include poisoning from spoiled food, laundry detergent, bleach, alcohol, cleaning fluid, and much more.
The first step is to make sure that you inspect your fridge at least once per week. If you have food or drinks in their too long, they can perish easily. If any food grows mold, throw it away immediately. You also want to make sure you take the trash out regularly if any child looks in the garbage bin!
Keep cleaning materials away from the reach of children. It would be best if you kept these on a top-shelf. It’s also best to keep them concealed so that a curious child will not try to inspect the product.
Fire Hazards
Fire is one of the most common home safety hazards and one that gets overlooked. This is something you should always be aware of. If your home catches fire, you will lose your valuables. There’s also the possibility of a loss of life and the chance that the fire will spread to your neighbors.
There are many simple ways you can prevent fires in your home. First, you should always make sure to never leave the gas on when cooking. When you cook a meal, your full focus should never be on anything else. If you go to your bedroom for a 5-minute call, that’s enough to set the home ablaze.
Lighters and matchboxes should get kept in a place away from children. Any flammable item should get kept in a safe corner and concealed from children.
You should also never leave a candle burning overnight. It’s also wise to invest in smoke detectors. As an added precaution, you can install CCTV cameras in your home to keep an eye on potential fires.
Make sure you read more about homeowners insurance in the event your home does catch on fire.
Drowning
Drowning is a huge home safety hazard if you have infants and elderly family members living in your home. Make sure that infants are never left unattended when bathing.
For elderly persons with weak mobility, ensure that they keep a cell phone or other communication device with them when they bathe. This way, they can call if they have trouble stepping out of a bathtub. Let them know that they should never leave the bathroom door locked.
A swimming pool should have an enclosed fence around it. If this isn’t possible, make sure you always supervise an infant or older adult while swimming.
Blades
Blades present another home hazard that, surprisingly, many homeowners forget about. Make sure you keep blades hidden from any infant in your home. The same goes for anyone in your family with a history of mental illness or self-destructive behavior.
Kitchen knives can be kept in a box in a high cabinet. If you want to keep them away from an adult, choose a box with a lock. Other blades such as saws or machetes should always get kept in a toolbox or toolbag. This casing should be locked and kept at a high level or in a locked cupboard.
Gardening tools can get kept in an outdoor shed. These should also get kept in a locked box or bag. When using any of your blades, make sure you keep away from infants. Let your children know the dangers of blades and that they should keep their distance from them.
Choking Hazards
This is one of the significant hazards and risks in a household if you have infants and pets in your home. Make sure that pets and infants are kept out of the kitchen while cooking. At any moment, you might drop a large chunk of food that can choke either of them.
Make sure you are careful in choosing the type of toys that pets and infants play with. For infants, make sure you always supervise them while they play with toys. If you ever break any object in your house, immediately make sure the kids and pets are away. Only let them back in the room once you have cleaned up the debris.
When serving food to children, make sure to cut it up into small pieces. If you ever leave food in the fridge for later, do the same. This way, if your child grabs food from the refrigerator without supervision, they are less likely to eat a large chunk.
Security
No matter how safe your neighborhood is, it would be best if you always took precautions for security. You should have CCTV cameras installed inside and outside the house. It’s wise to have a few hidden cameras that cannot get seen easily. Have a few large cameras that will deter intruders as well.
You might want to buy a firearm for the home in case an intruder confronts you. Make sure you train yourself how to use a firearm. If there are children in the house, invest in a gun safe to keep the gun away from them.
Address These Home Safety Hazards Today
Make sure you take steps to address these common home safety hazards as soon as possible.
If you follow the advice in this guide, your home will be safer from damage. Your loved ones will also be protected from any potential harm.
Make sure to share this guide with other homeowners. If you found this informative, you can find more tips on homeownership on our website.
