Home Safety The First Frontier

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by: Rem | Total views: 4 | Word Count: 520 | View PDF | Print View
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Maintaining a modern home requires many dangerous chemicals and devices that are threats to home safety. Especially if there are any children in the home, the utmost care should be used to properly stow or protect these hazards. These may seem like simple measures and full of just common sense, but death and injury result from ignoring the precautions every year.

It is a fact of today's lifestyle that we all like stuff and lots of it around our home. Often times this stuff either doesn't have a permanent storage area or has not been replaced in the proper area. A classic home safety tripping hazard is all of the stuff left in the walkways of our homes. Boxes, toys, shoes, clothes and many more items are common problems when left on the floor where people walk.

Furniture can be a painful problem for shins, knees, and elbows if the proper spacing is not maintained due to squeezing it all in a hall or room. The government sets safety standards at about 30 inches for walkway clearances between furniture and other obstacles. Many hallways or rooms do not meet this standard and have not been adjusted for the actual size needs of the family.

Corners can also be lower in nature and become a danger to ankles and shins. Bruising is the normal result along with pain, but the overall damage is usually minimal. If the house has older occupants with fragile bones the threat is obviously much higher.

Overloaded people are another home safety hazard that is self inflicted. Many pulled muscles, strained back or like injuries result from trying to lift or carry too much stuff at one time. Even carrying lighter items that obstruct your vision can cause you to run into a wall or stair you could not see. It is very easy for people to overestimate their ability to carry a load or move an object in the home.

Rugs are often a concern in home safety due to either slipping on wood floors or bunching up with ridges looking to trip the unwary. Most rugs should have a rug pad under them of a non-slip nature to keep the rug most secure and safe. Bathroom rugs are a great idea as they usually come with non-slip backs and provide a stable area to stand even when dripping wet.

The kitchen is an area where chemicals are used to clean and sanitize surfaces daily. Many of these chemicals are hazardous to contact, inhale, or swallow. To provide quick access and easy use of the cleaning products, they are often stored under the sink or in a nearby cabinet. Home safety is greatly improved when the items are put up and away, preferably in a locked cabinet.

High temperature devices are part of modern households and obvious home safety hazards. Stoves are needed to cook but can remain hot to the unwary touch for many minutes after cooking is done. Many stoves indicate for 30 minutes after use that the elements are still hot.
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