Home Safety

Injury in the home is extremely common, accounting for approximately one-third of all injuries. The home is the second most common location of unintentional fatal injuries in the United States, with motor vehicles traveling on the road being the first. The home is the site of approximately 20% of all injury death. The top five leading causes of unintentional home injury death are falls, poisoning, fire/burn, choking/suffocation, and drowning; together these causes account for 90% of all unintentional home injury deaths. Yet the majority of unintentional home injuries do not result in death. For every home injury death there are approximately 650 nonfatal injuries. Children under age 5 and adults over age 70 are the highest risk groups for home injury, both fatal and nonfatal (Home Safety Council).

Preventing Slips and Falls in the Home
In 1998, falls in the home and community caused or led to 15,900 deaths. All age groups are vulnerable, but older adults are most at risk. In fact, 80% of those receiving fatal injury are over the age of 65. Falls continue to be the major reason for injury-related death, injury and hospital admission for older adults.
Follow these tips to prevent slips and falls in your home:

Keep the floor clear. Reduce clutter and safely tuck telephone and electrical cords out of walkways.

Keep the floor clean. Clean up grease, water and other liquids immediately. Don't wax floors.

Use non-skid throw rugs to reduce your chance of slipping on linoleum.

Install handrails in stairways. Have grab bars in the bathroom (by toilets and in tub/shower.)

Make sure living areas are well lit. We can all trip and fall in the dark.

Be aware that climbing and reaching high places will increase your chance of a fall. Use a sturdy step stool with hand rails when these tasks are necessary.

Follow medication dosages closely. Using medication incorrectly may lead to dizziness, weakness and other side effects. These can all lead to a dangerous fall.

(National Safety Council, www.NSC.org)

Use this checklist as a guide to find and fix hazards in your home. This checklist is not all inclusive; please visit the Home Safety Council's Safety Guide to learn more about ways to protect your home and family (www.homesafetycouncil.org).

Have first-aid kit stocked with emergency items.

Practice a home fire escape plan twice a year so everyone knows at least two exits out of every room and where to meet outside in case of an emergency

Test your smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries yearly

Stay in the kitchen when food is cooking on the stove

Use nightlights to help light hall ways and bathrooms during night-time hours

Use a sturdy step stool and not a chair when climbing

Post the National Poison Control Hotline number (800-222-1222) along with other emergency numbers next to every phone

Medications should be kept in their original containers with original labels

Never use a barbecue grill or generator in your garage

Always pull the car out of the garage after starting it.

Keep a cordless, water resistant phone in the pool area with emergency numbers posted near by

Poolside rescue equipment should be close to the pool area

CPR instructions should be posted near pool area

Consider taking First Aid and CPR classes

For comprehensive information on maintaining safety on a regular basis visit anyone of these sites:

www.homesafetycouncil.org
National Safety Council
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)- It’s not just work safety
Safety Issues- great resource for everything safety

Consumer Recalls

Recalls occur on a daily basis on all types of products ranging from produce to vehicle parts. Large scale recalls get reported through various media sources; however, daily recalls that may affect you may not be reported at all. Periodically checking the consumer recall site will help keep you informed and protected.

The recall sites report what items are in recall and how to go about resolving the situation if you are affected.

Recalls.gov is a comprehensive recall site for various types of recalls. It links to the main recall sites for consumer, motor vehicles, boats, food, medicine, cosmetics and environmental products.