Home Improvement and Maintenance Help:
Protect Your Family and Your Home

Our home is where we spend a lot of our time with our loved ones, a place to relax, a place where we can let our guard down in the safety and comfort of our own home. Well maybe we need to make sure our home is safe before we get too comfortable. According to the State of Home safety in America report, injuries in the home were responsible for over 20,000 Deaths and nearly 20 million medical visits each year.

To prevent theses injuries in your home, you can start home maintenance with the easy things like:

• Test the batteries in the smoke detectors monthly
• Have at least one CO (Carbon Monoxide) alarm near bedrooms
• Have a multipurpose fire extinguisher in a location that is easy to get to in an emergency
• Make a family evacuation plan and practice it
• Have working flashlights in bedrooms
• Make a list emergency numbers and have a copy at each phone in the house
• Check all handrails to make sure they are secure
• Have gas or oil furnaces serviced every year

Safety issues room by room include:

Basement, Garage:

• Put tags on shut-off valves/switches for water, gas and electricity. They should be easy to find in an emergency.
• Use step stools and utility ladders to reach items on high shelves. Do not stand on a chair.
• Make sure utility shelving is sturdy and well organized.

Bathroom:

• Use non-slip decals or strips in the bottom of the tub or shower. Some of the newer models have a "grippable" surface built in remember this important safety feature if you are shopping for a replacement tub or shower kit.
• Make sure faucets and showerheads have anti-scald features that prevent sudden bursts of very hot water. Most new bathroom fixtures integrate these features, but houses with old plumbing may not have them. This is particularly important in bathrooms used by small children and the elderly both of who are particularly susceptible to burn injuries.
• Use a rubber-backed bath mat to prevent slipping on a wet floor.

Kitchen:

• A first-aid kit prepares you to treat minor injuries. Keep it stocked with clean supplies and fresh medicines, as well as phone numbers for the local emergency services, poison control and your doctors’ offices.
• Do not store cooking utensils and dishtowels too close to the range. They could melt or catch fire.
• Make sure that plugs near the sink are GFCI outlets, which are designed to monitor the current going to and coming from the receptacle.

If you practice better home safety, you can prevent injuries and save lives.

For additional information and free brochures, visit www.homesafetycouncil.org