Top Five Ways to Avoid Accidents In The Home.
Statistics show that there are around 4,000 deaths due to accidents at home every year. This is a very frightening statistic when you consider that this means that you are more likely to have an accident at home than anywhere else. However, the home itself is not a very dangerous place it is more that the odds are higher because people tend to spend more time at home than anywhere else. As the home is something personal to you and your family you have complete control over how your house is run and there are a few precautionary measures that you can take to help eliminate common accidents in the home.
Research actually shows that accidents in the home are more likely to occur on a Monday morning than at any other time of the week. It is thought that this is because people are struggling to get back into the swing of a 9 to 5 sleep pattern and are recovering from late nights and even hangovers from the weekend’s activities. This means that people are less well coordinated and organised on a Monday morning and are more prone to accidents.
To keep you and your family safe in the home, it is important to make the house as accident proof as possible by following these 5 simple guidelines. The guidelines have been formed on the basis of a commonsense approach and may help to improve your safety awareness in the home. Being in your own home should be a relaxing experience of course, but this does not mean that safety precautions should become lax.
Spillages on the floor should be cleared up straight away as these are one of the main causes of slips and falls in the home. You should also warn other members of the household if the floor has become wet after cleaning as they may not be aware of this and suffer an accident. If you have children you should ensure that they know about clearing up spillages or at least teach then to inform you if they spill anything.
Bathrooms can be very dangerous places and not just for children, adults can also suffer slips in the shower or scald themselves by jumping into a hot bath without testing the temperature of the water. If you have children, do not be fooled into thinking that your child is safe just because the bath is shallow. Accidents can still happen in shallow water if you do not supervise bath times properly.
Accidents often happen because of obstacles restricting access. The most important place to keep clear is the stairs as many people have accidents on the stairs everyday. To reduce the risk of accidents involving stairs you should make sure that they are kept clear at all times. You should also make sure that any unfixed carpet is repaired straight away.
It is essential to check that your smoke alarm is in working order on a regular basis. According to statistics, you are more than twice as likely to perish in a fire at home if you don’t have a working smoke alarm. If that doesn’t make you go and check it I don’t know what will! You must also make sure that in the event of a fire everybody knows what to do and where to go.
It is essential that electrical items are regularly maintained and any repairs made immediately. Things like cracked plugs and worn cables must be replaced as they can cause shocks and even electrical fires. Also you should not keep electrical appliances in the bathroom or touch electrical items with wet hands.
If you follow these 5 simple guidelines then you should be able to effectively eliminate accidents in the home and keep yourself and your family safe.
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