Your home should be a haven where you can relax and unplug from your daily stress. However, statistics show that it can be among the most unsafe places to be. Approximately 131,400 injury-related deaths occurred in US homes in 2019. This figure represented about 76% of all preventable injury-related deaths that occurred that year. The numbers are disturbing, and it is even more reason why you need to know the common factors of household accidents and how to avoid them.
- Falling objects
It’s a beautiful moment for parents to see their young children begin to move around independently. However, this also means there are some pending accidents about to happen. As your younger children learn to move, they tag and pull on anything for support. This puts them at risk of pulling and pushing things off surfaces, which could fall on and injure your child. To avoid such injuries, be sure to keep objects such as electrical leads, dish towels, tablecloth edges, and others out of your kids’ reach.
- Burns
Burns are another common household injury. For example, you can easily scald yourself with a hot straightener, iron, or stove while cooking. Younger children are burnt or scalded by hot beverages or scalding bathwater. You can prevent burns in your home by ensuring hot devices are kept out of children’s reach and used carefully. Be sure your child’s beverages and meals are reasonably warm before giving them to them. Bathwater should also be kept at a reasonably warm temperature.
- Slips, trips, and fall
No matter the age, everyone is at risk of getting injured from slipping, tripping, or falling. However, younger children and older family members are likely to be subjected to incidents of this nature. A misplaced rug, a wet floor, messy cables, or a cluttered staircase are the few factors that cause falls around the house. Falls, slips, and trips can cause broken bones, dizziness, or deep cuts. You can prevent these accidents by avoiding clutter in your home. If you have issues with cluttered furniture, hire the services of furniture removals to move them to storage facilities for a later time. Be sure to clean water floors and install effective storage measures.
- Poisoning
Various substances in your home may cause poisoning, but most are your cleaning products. If you have young kids in your household, ensure to have designated, hidden areas to store your sprays, polishes, bleach, and other supplies that can cause poisoning, and make sure they are locked away every time. You might also want to consider your other everyday items like cosmetics and medications. Keep them properly labeled and stored in their original containers. Statistics suggest that Americans are poisoning themselves as calls to poison control centers increased by 20% last year.
Your home exposes you and your family to several risks which could lead to serious injury. Therefore, it is vital to know these risks and implement the right strategies to prevent them. Hopefully, this article helped you do just that.