Home Safety Tips & Ideas

Making Your Home Safe
Article about the safe home program that includes tips for home safety. Prevent work injury, prevent falls, stroke prevention, home accessibility, home safety, and more are included. Tips for being safe at home, room by room, are also included. Shower equipment can be adapted to improve both safety and independence. Use hand-held showerheads, long handled sponges, simple tub benches and skid-proof rubber mats. Shower curtains are safer than shower doors. Toilets can be installed with a wide variety of enhancements to improve safety such as simple grab bars or specially designed commode chairs. Pipes that are exposed should be insulated to prevent burns and scrapes. This is important if you have toddlers who can squeeze into small places. Faucets can be converted to single lever handles and sensor eyes can be used so you don't have to use your hands. Skip-proof rugs and rubber mats are encouraged to prevent falls in the bathroom. In the kitchen, cabinets often have shelves that are too high to reach safely. Store frequently used items on the lowest shelf, at waist level, or on the counter. Avoid using step stools and never stand on a chair to reach high items. More tips are included for rooms of the house.

Hazard Hunter
This is a charming and helpful site from the Belfast City Council. Hazard is an animated character who had his share of accidents around the house and now wants to lead us through the house and show us how to be safe so that we don't have to make all the same mistakes he did. Turn on your speakers for music and sound effects as Hazard takes up through virtually every room in the house and shows us the dangers lurking almost unseen. Hazard Hunter takes us through the living room, the hallway, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, the landing, the garden and the garage. A few of the hazards Hazard discusses are keeping stairs well lit, making sure rugs and carpets are securely fashioned to stairs to avoid tripping, secure bookshelves so they can't topple if children climb them, cover unused electrical outlets, use cupboard and drawer latches, clean up spills immediately, keep sharp objects out of reach and dozens more.

Home Fire Safety by Directgov of the UK
Several articles provide tips on fire safety in the home and and avoiding accidents in the kitchen. Fire safety tips include using and checking smoke alarms, smoke alarms for the hearing impaired, and planning fire escape routes for safety. Kitchen safety tips revolve around the theme of kitchen safety for children, and include keeping children out of the kitchen while you're cooking, store glass and breakable items out of reach, keep cleaning materials out of reach, keeping knives in locked drawers for children's safety, using the back burners on the stove, storing hazardous items safely, not drinking hot beverages while feeding a baby and not storing treats near the stove. Other articles cover fire safety in rented accommodations, clearing up after a fire, and how to select and learn to use a fire extinguisher.

Holiday Safety, Children's Safety, Seniors Safety
Homestore provides articles about keeping apartments secure, home security information, tips for keeping your home safe while you are away, and a section on keeping senior citizens safe. Site includes information on holiday safety, children's safety, safety products and do-it-yourself home security features. A crisis kit checklist is also provided, as are tips for children's safety, including going over phone numbers with children, creating a safety game, and viewing your home from a child's perspective to identify potential interests and hazards.