Ten hands-on tips to a safer home

Many people feel they are the safest in their own home, but recent research by the Home Safety Council? may prove them wrong. According to the Home Safety Council, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping prevent home-related injuries, nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year result from injuries within the home due to falls, poisonings, fire and burns, choking/suffocation and drowning. While these dangers do put home dwellers at risk, the Council points out that injuries can be avoided by taking a hands-on approach to home safety and identifying and fixing hazards before an incident occurs.

“Taking a hands-on approach to keeping loved ones safe at home is a daily commitment, but one that is simple and does not require a lot of time or money,” said Meri-K Happy, Home Safety Council president. “We want families to know that even small changes, such as regularly testing smoke alarms, always locking household chemicals away, or making sure stairs and walkways are well lit can greatly improve safety in the home.”

Hands on Home Safety

The Home Safety Council?s Hands On Home Safety Campaign, asks families to make safety more of a priority every day. Follow these ten simple steps to a safer home to protect your family from a serious injury.

? Have smoke alarms on every level of your home; test them monthly.

? Have a fire escape plan for your family that shows two ways out of every room and a place to meet outside. Practice your plan two times a year with your family.

? Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking on the stove.

? Keep all stairways, paths, and walkways well lit.

? Have grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.

? Put emergency numbers including the National Poison Control Hotline number (1-800-222-1222) next to every phone in your home.

? Have child locks on all cabinets used to store potentially dangerous items.

? Set your water heater setting at 120? degrees Fahrenheit or less.

? Have four-sided fencing with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be least five feet high.

? Actively supervise children in or near water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs, and buckets.

Tips to a Safer Home

? Have smoke alarms on every level of your home; test them monthly.

? Have a fire escape plan for your family that shows two ways out of every room and a place to meet outside. Practice your plan two times a year with your family.

? Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking on the stove.

? Keep all stairways, paths, and walkways well lit.

? Have grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.

? Put emergency numbers including the National Poison Control Hotline number (1-800-222-1222) next to every phone in your home.

? Have child locks on all cabinets used to store potentially dangerous items.

? Set your water heater setting at 120? degrees Fahrenheit or less.

? Have four-sided fencing with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be least five feet high.

? Actively supervise children in or near water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs, and buckets.