12 Tips for Making Your Home Safer

Accidents happen every day in homes across America, proving to be fatal for some.

Eighty percent of the fire deaths in 2008 occurred in the home. About 2,000 people are treated each year for unintentional poisoning and 82 of those people die from it. And 50% of the traumatic head injuries occurring in children ages 0-14 are due to falls in the home.

Here are a dozen tips on how to keep your home safer from the American Public Health Association in conjunction with National Public Health Week (April  4-10, 2011):

• Look around your home for potential risk areas such as tripping hazards, like low furniture, and uneven surfaces, such as the transitions between tile and carpet.
• Make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors are working – with the start of daylight savings time today, it’s a good time to check the batteries.
• Make a plan that all family members understand for evacuating your home in an emergency. Establish a place to meet once people have escaped.
• Cover electrical outlets so curious children won’t get hurt.
• Post the Poison Control phone number close to the land lines in the house (1-800-222-1222) and program it into your phones.
• Set your hot water heater at 120°F or lower to prevent burns. A child under 5 exposed to 140°F or higher can get 3^rd degree burns after 1 second of exposure.
• Surround swimming pools with four-sided fencing at least 5 feet high to prevent drownings.
• Never leave the stove unattended while cooking when your kids are around. Move anything flammable like towels and plastic bags at least 3 feet away from the hot stovetop.
• Turn your pot handles inward so no one can knock or pull the pans off the stove.
• Lock medicines and cleaning supplies away from kids.
• Check cleaning products and medicine for child-proof caps.
• Watch for cleaning product labels that show pictures of fruit or other foods, which may make a child think it’s ok to drink or eat.

For more information about injury prevention and other tips, visit www.nphw.org.