Home Safety Month

Reducing Household Risks
Room by Room

Kitchen

• Monitor cooking very closely; keep combustible materials such as dish towels, paper plates and paper towels at least three feet from stove-top burners.
• When cooking use oven mitts, roll up sleeves and avoid loose-fitting clothing.
• Never store poisons with or near food items.
• Don’t use a fire extinguisher on open pan fires because its force can spread the burning grease.

Bedroom

• Keep space heaters at least three feet from combustible materials.

Bathroom

• Keep all medications and cleaning products locked up and out of reach of children.
• Help young children use the sink and tub and stay within arms reach of them when they are bathing.
• Use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips in showers and tubs.

Stairways

• Use handrails on stairs and keep stairways clear of all objects.
• Install night lights with on\off switches at the top and bottom of stairs.

Window

• Install window guards to prevent young children from falling out.
• Never leave young children unattended near an open window.
• Use cordless blinds or clip loops in cord high to protect young children from potential strangulation hazard.

Garage

• Store dangerous items such as paint, pesticides and gasoline out of the reach of children.
• Make sure an automatic door opener has a safety feature to prevent hitting or trapping a child.

Pool

• Install fencing at least five feet high on all sides of a pool and with a self-closing and self-locking gate
• Never leave a child unattended in a pool or around any water that could cause drowning and never swim alone.

BBQ Grill

• Never put a grill near combustible materials, including wooden fencing or railing or low-hanging tree branches or plants.

Play Equipment

• Make sure play sets are safe and sturdy with no loose connections
• Cover areas around play equipment with soft materials such as mulch or hardwood chips to cushion a fall
• Don’t let children under the age of five play on anything more than five feet off the ground.

Fire Safety

• Make sure fire alarms are installed on every floor and in working order
• Develop and practice a fire escape plan for the family.

Source: www.emaxhealth.com

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