Five common home safety hazards and how to fix them

Safety is absolutely key to creating a home environment that both you and your family can enjoy.

There are quite a few safety hazards that might be strewn throughout your home, but fixing these can actually be quite easy once you become aware of them.

Is that a fire hazard I see?

Anything in your home could lead to an accidental fire – from candles to the clothing iron you left on when your toddler called for you. To minimise the risk:

• Consider installing fire alarms and check them regularly. Also, get a fire extinguisher or two for the house.
• Never, ever, leave candles unattended or close to cloth items like curtains or pillows.
• Check all your appliances and electrical outlets to make sure they are in good order with no frayed wires.
• And don’t overload outlets. It’s actually best to unplug devices that you aren’t using.

Don’t slip and fall…

An injury because of a fall is a common household hazard. Although accidents can happen at any time, here are tips to keep them to a minimum:

• If you have any staircases in your home, make sure that the handrails are solid. The same counts for any safety gates you might have installed to keep small children from tumbling down the stairs.
• Secure bath rugs or make sure they are rubberised on one side to keep accidental slips to a minimum.    

Cut those sharp objects out

It might seem obvious, but there are quite a few items with sharp edges around the home – from an opened can to the garden tools.

• There are quite a few things you can do around the kitchen to minimise the risk of getting cut. For example, close the trash can, store away kitchen knives or graters whenever they are not in use.
• Put away any garden tools that you aren’t using – including the lawnmower and rake.
• Lock away sharp objects like razors, cuticle scissors and so on.     

Take the choke off

Let’s face it, choking is scary and some of the biggest choking hazards in your home are small toys and small hard foods.

• Regularly check your children’s toys for loose parts and check floors for small items that might have rolled out of sight. 
• Also keep small, hard foods like nuts or candy out of reach and try your best to make sure your kids chew their food properly.

Keep poisonous items behind locked doors

• Store any medication in the house properly – from over-the-counter to prescription meds. This one isn’t just for the young kids though – store medication away from teenagers too.
• Even paint that isn’t lead-based needs to be stored properly and never pour the paint over into a different container to avoid anyone mistaking it for something else.