Home Sense
Safety-proof your house in five steps
Most of us think that our homes are safe, but the truth is there may be numerous accidents waiting to happen. The good news is many of the potential hazards are easily fixed. Here are five steps you can take now to make your home safer for your family.
- Stop, drop and check your detector. Smoke detectors are useless unless they're working. In most cases, the batteries are dead or missing. Test every detector in your house by pressing the Test button. It should sound an alert. If not, replace the batteries immediately!
- Make it secure. Consider installing a home security system. Some will sound an alarm at your home and signal a monitoring company to alert the police or fire department. Inspect your exterior doors, windows and locks. Thieves like easy access, make it difficult. Deadbolts should extend one inch beyond the door's edge and be made of case-hardened steel. Cut pieces of wood to fit in your window sill to prevent anyone from forcing open your window.
- Prevent poisoning. Buy a carbon monoxide detector. Similar to a smoke detector, it will sound an alarm if the air becomes toxic. Keep household medicines and cleaning products out of children's sight. If you can't move the items to a shelf out of reach, buy child-proof locks to keep little fingers out of trouble.
- Keep it clear. Eliminate clutter from stairways and entryways where people are likely to trip. Make sure your furniture does not create obstacles for others. Move extension, telephone and lamp cords out of high-traffic areas to avoid getting your feet tangled in them. Add lighting to stairways, halls and entryways to ensure they are well lit.
- Always be prepared. Write down all emergency numbers and post them beside each phone. You never know when you're going to need them. Buy a first-aid kit or create one yourself. Develop an escape plan and practice it with your family. Everyone needs to know how to get out and where to meet once safely outdoors.
Source: REBGV
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This file last modified Thursday, 27-Dec-2007 16:53:12 CST
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