When it comes to home safety, there’s no getting away from the fact that accidents happen from time to time. But many of the failures that lead to accidents and injuries in the home can easily be prevented by taking a few simple precautions.
Creating a checklist and going through it slowly and thoroughly should help you make your home as safe as it can possibly be. In the first of a three-part Home Safety series, here are five potential safety risks in the home that you can avoid:
1) Faulty or Damaged Furniture and Fittings
Whether your home is brand new or centuries old, there is always the risk that furniture and fittings could cause an accident or injury if they aren’t properly looked after, or fixed and replaced as soon as it’s required. This could be anything from a faulty floorboard, loose tiles, or a wobbly leg on a table chair. Getting these kinds of issues dealt with as soon as they arise will lower the risk of falls, trips, and any other kinds of accidents occurring.
2) Fire
There is a giant list of fire hazards in the home, and the majority of them are in the kitchen. Naked flames, overheating equipment, and plug sockets coming into contact with water could all occur in the kitchen if you are not careful and properly prepared. The kitchen should never be left unattended when cooking is taking place, as fires can start up in an instant and quickly become out of control.
Other areas of the home are susceptible to fire, too. Electric portable heaters being left on next to curtains or clothing could easily start a house fire, as well as other electrical equipment overheating. Keeping equipment uncovered and switched off at the mains when not in use should prevent any fires from breaking out as a result of an electric fire. All rooms should be fitted with smoke alarms to provide early warning of a fire, and having a fire extinguisher and fire blanket stored in your home somewhere easily accessible will help should the worst happen.
3) Gas
The home should receive a gas inspection once a year, but if you ever smell gas but cannot find the source of where it is coming from, it is always wise to contact the fire and rescue service right away. Gas leakages can be an issue with older homes and can often arise from a faulty boiler or faulty connections in the kitchen, with the oven the main user of gas. Installing a good carbon monoxide detector could potentially save lives.
4) Electric
There are a number of safety issues that can arise from having faulty electrics. Being electrocuted or even having a simple electric shock is not a very nice experience, so all lighting, electric plug sockets, and fittings should be installed correctly and be checked often. If a wall socket makes a spark or becomes very hot when something is plugged in, it should definitely not be used. It could lead to an electric fire or, at the very least, trip the fuse of the home. It’s advisable to get this checked and fixed by a qualified electrician if you’re in any doubt.
5) Water
Water leakages can become a major issue for the safety of the home. For example, faulty equipment or pipes that leak water could lead to electrocutions if they come into contact with electrical goods, not to mention the hazards that can come from slipping. This is commonly seen with washing machines that have become old or faulty. If they are kept in the garage and start to leak, they could come into contact with electric sockets and cause a fire or give somebody in the home a nasty electric shock. If there are any leakages in the home, they should be fixed as soon as possible in order to keep everybody safe.
We hope you’ve found these tips helpful, of course a major way to protect your house is to insure it, and you may want to check out these home insurance offers from More Th>n. Stay tuned for the next part in our Home Safety series, when we’ll be looking at what to do if your house is in a flood zone.
This is a promotional post with images by Johnny Ainsworth and Tom Page
