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The home serves as a shelter and a haven, offering comfort and escape from your busy schedules. Moreover, your home helps you relax after a hard day’s work, improving your health in the long run. It is also where you can gather and bond with your family. Seeing its perks, it makes sense to keep your home safe at all times. However, some hazards can pose a threat to your life, family, and belongings. Research indicates that thousands are killed or injured in home-related accidents. To avoid domestic accidents, here are common home safety hazards to avoid.
- Poisoning
Whether you’re aware or not, several items in your home pose severe poisoning risks for you and your family. This is particularly hazardous if you have kids at home, as they are more prone to ingest things without adequate supervision. That said, items such as antifreeze, makeup, cleaning products, and other household chemicals, medicines, lead paint, etc., can cause severe poisoning if ingested—the CDC rates poisoning as the leading cause of unintentional deaths in the US. Also, poison from medication is the leading cause of accidental poisoning in children.
Thankfully, you can avoid poisoning by taking the necessary precautions. For starters, it’s essential to put all medication, cleaning products, and chemicals out of sight to prevent your kids from ingesting them. Cabinets with safety latches are useful storage, so keep this in mind. Consequently, avoid using lead paints in your home. If you have an older home, you’d want to get it tested for lead. If you have a garden, ensure that poisonous plants aren’t growing to avoid harm.
- Falls
According to the WHO, falls are the second-leading cause of unintentional deaths globally, with 684 000 people dying annually. While everyone risks falling, older adults have higher risks, with over 2.7 million individuals treated for falls each year. Research also indicates that it is the topmost cause of fatal accidents for people over 65. These statistics reveal how dangerous falls are, making it imperative to put measures to prevent them. Often, falls are caused by slippery falls, electrical cords, clutter, or rickety stairs, so keep this in mind.
That said, it’s prudent to thoroughly clean your floors after a spill to prevent slips. By all means, keep your home tidy by getting rid of the clutter lying around. Examine your home for loose carpets, loose floorboards, or slippery throw rugs. You can replace these items with new ones to enhance your home’s safety. Handrails and grab bars help you on the stairs or in the bathtub, so feel free to install them. As a tip, avoid wearing socks and clothing that drags on the floor, and leverage adequate lighting to illuminate your home. You can also utilize non-slip mats in your kitchen or bathroom for extra safety.
- Choking
It’s not uncommon that certain household objects are kept out of children’s reach. This is because children, especially toddlers, explore their environment by putting objects in their mouths. However, this is also scary, as your toddler can choke if not supervised. In the US, a child chokes to death every five days on average, while 75% of choking hazards occur in kids under the age of three. This makes choking a major cause of toddler and infant deaths in the country. The main culprits of choking include a balloon, button, toy part, coin, watch battery, etc., that they have ingested. These objects can cause partial or total airway blockage, leading to permanent brain damage and death if not addressed immediately. Children can also choke on food such as marshmallows, seeds, etc.
Therefore, it’s best to keep all small objects out of your children’s reach; you can bend down to your child’s level and scan the environment to ensure that it is free from such hazardous objects. You also want to avoid buying toys with button batteries for your infants and separate your infant’s toys from your older children’s. Regarding food, ensure that your children are sitting upright when eating and encourage them to chew their food properly. Experts suggest that you feed your little ones with less than a pea-sized amount of food to accommodate their airway without choking them.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
Another hazard to pay particular attention to is carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas produced by incomplete fuel combustions. Exposure to this gas can displace the oxygen molecules in your body and lead to poisoning. Carbon monoxide can be generated by home appliances like gas stoves, clothes dryers, fireplaces, generators, lawn equipment, vehicles, grills, power tools, etc. Since it is odorless, it can build up to a dangerous degree without you knowing until it has caused significant damage. However, CO poisoning comes with symptoms like weakness, dizziness, upset stomach, headache, confusion, and chest pain. However, people often ignore these as they’re similar to the flue, leading to more poisoning. What’s worse, people who are asleep or drunk can die from CO poisoning before experiencing any symptoms.
Fortunately, the CDC has outlined certain precautions to prevent CO poisoning in your home. First, it’s prudent to install a battery-operated detector in your home and replace the batteries after changing the time during spring and fall. Consequently, replace your detectors every five years to maintain efficiency. You also need to get your heating system and other appliances for signs of leakage. Avoid burning charcoals in your home to prevent CO buildup in your home.
- Fire hazards
Statistics indicate that over 3,000 people die in fires annually, making it the third most dangerous household hazard. Moreover, approximately 358,500 homes experience fire outbreaks each year, with cooking taking the lead position in fire outbreak triggers. Faulty electrical wiring is also a major cause of fire hazards in domestic households, so keep this in mind. If you have faulty home appliances, you’re also at risk of experiencing an outbreak. Therefore, it’s best to have them examined by a professional. Suppose you need spare parts to restore your Simpson home appliances. In that case, you can get authentic Simpson spare part replacements from credible online stores. As a tip, avoid leaving your cooking unattended, and keep your candles away from flammable items like books.
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