Columns
Friday, June 10, 2005
common sense on home safety
When we Iowans think of our homes, we think of comfort and security. Our home is our castle, our sanctuary. But that sanctuary might not be as safe as it could be. Nationwide, home injuries result in nearly 21 million medical visits and some 20,000 deaths each year. The three leading causes of home injury are falls, fires and burns, and poisonings. Keeping our homes safe needs to be a year-round priority, especially if there are very young or very old people – those most likely to suffer an accidental injury – in our household. However, since June is Home Safety Month, this is a good time for Iowa families to find and fix dangers that may have gone unnoticed.
The Home Safety Council offers the following tips for improving the safety of your home environment.
? Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them monthly.
? Create a fire escape plan for your family that shows two exits out of every room and a place to meet outside. Practice makes perfect – hold a family fire drill at least twice each year.
? Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking on the stove.
? All stairs and steps need handrails along both sides, secured along the full length of the stairway. Keep stairs and pathways clear of clutter. In homes with babies and toddlers, use baby gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
? Install lighting at the top and bottom of stairs.
? Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.
? Post emergency numbers including 911 (or local number) and the National Poison Control Hotline number (1-800-222-1222) next to every phone in your home.
? Install child locks on all cabinets used to store dangerous items.
? Keep your water heater setting at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
? If you have a pool, install four-sided pool fencing with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be atleast five feet high.
? Practice touch supervision - stay within arm’s length and constantly supervise children in or near water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs and buckets.
For more home-safety information and tools, visit the Home Safety Council’s website at www.homesafetycouncil.org. By taking small steps, we can prevent big accidents, and even death. If you’ve been neglecting things like smoke alarms and slippery bathtubs, June is a good time to start “thinking safety.”
