Preventing Household Dangers:

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Safe at Home
Preventing Household Dangers A Room-by-Room
Guide
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Based on the home safety guide published by the
Home Safety Council
http//www.homesafetycouncil.org/mysafehome/msh_GH
_p001.pdf
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KITCHEN SAFETY
Cooking is the number one cause of home fires.
In addition, kitchens usually contain a stock
of dangerous household chemicals, often within
the reach of children.
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KITCHEN SAFETY

• Be a smart cook
• In the kitchen, always keep the heat under
  control
• Stay in the kitchen while cooking. If you must
  walk away for a moment, turn the heat off or to
  very low and return to the stove quickly.
• Use masking tape to mark off a child-free zone
  around the stove.
• Keep things that can burn, such as dishtowels
  and paper or plastic bags, at least three feet
  away from the range top.
• Before cooking, roll up your sleeves and use
  long oven mitts. Loose fitting clothes can touch
  a hot burner and catch on fire

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KITCHEN SAFETY

• Put away the poisons
• Keep household chemicals in locked cabinets and
  out of the reach of children
• Look for signal words on labels that alert you
  to potentially poisonous products (e.g.,
  Caution, Warning, or Danger).
• Store poisons, cleaners, and all other dangerous
  items in a place where children cant touch them.
  Use child locks on cabinets.
• Post emergency numbers, including the Poison
  Control
• hotline number (1-800-222-1222), next to every
  phone.
• Keep cleaners in their original containers. Do
  not mix them together because their contents
  could react with dangerous results

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KITCHEN SAFETY

• Keep your cool during a pan fire
• Always cook oil or grease SLOWLY, and watch
  carefully
• while it heats. Should you experience a fire in a
  pan on the stovetop
• Dont attempt to move the pan outside or throw
  water on it
• this can cause serious burns and may spread the
  fire. Do not use a fire extinguisher, as it
  sprays with such force that it can tip over the
  pan and spread the burning grease.
• Instead, put on oven mitts, then slide a lid or
  a large cookie sheet over the pan fire, and keep
  it in place. Then, turn off the burner.

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BEDROOM SAFETY
Reduce risk Lower the odds of home fires by
taking these preventive measures Place space
heaters at least three feet away from anything
that can burn. Turn them off when you leave the
room or go to sleep. Only light candles when an
adult is in the room. Blow out the candle if you
leave the room or go to sleep. Or, choose
battery-operated flameless candles. Keep all
lighters and matches locked away and out of the
reach of children. If you smoke, do so outside.
Empty ashtrays into the trash often, dousing them
with water first.
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BEDROOM SAFETY
Install smoke alarms Smoke alarms are your
familys early warning systemcutting the risk of
fire-related fatalities almost in half Install
smoke alarms on every level of your home and
inside every bedroom. Buy both ionization- and
photoelectric-type alarms for the best detection
of flaming and smoldering fires, respectively.
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BEDROOM SAFETY
Test alarms monthly to make sure they are
working properly, and install fresh batteries at
least once a year. Choose a brand you can
trust. If your alarms are ten years old or
more, replace them. Sleeping children may not
wake up to the sound of a smoke alarm. Expose
them to it so they will know and respond to it,
but assign an adult to help children escape in a
fire
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BEDROOM SAFETY
Plan an escape Develop a fire escape plan for
your family Make a map of your home and
identify two exits from every room. Choose a
safe spot just outside the home (e.g., a tree in
front of your house) where the family will meet
after escaping. Hold a family fire drill at
least twice each year, including one at night.
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BATHROOM SAFETY

• Hot water burns The overlooked danger
• Believe it or not, hot water or steam can burn
  the skin like fire. Liquid at 140F can burn the
  skin in as little as 5 secondsor 1 second for a
  young child.
• According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
  Commission, nearly 3,800 injuries and over 30
  deaths occur in the home each year due to hot
  water burns.

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BATHROOM SAFETY

• Take these safety measures to keep water at a
  safe temperature
• Know how hot your tap water is. Test the
  temperature with a bath or candy thermometer.
  Lower the temperature of your hot water heater,
  ideally to 120F,or just below the medium
  setting.
• For bathing, turn the cold water on first, then
  mix in warmer water until the temperature reaches
  around 100F. Note that the suggested water
  temperature for babies is lower due to their
  thinner skins.
• Before placing your child in the tub, put your
  whole hand in the
• water and move it around the tub to check for hot
  spots.

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BATHROOM SAFETY
Stay in reach For young children, even a few
inches of water in a bathtub can pose a drowning
hazard. Dont let kids out of your sight
Always stay within arms reach when children are
bathing. Never allow older children to supervise
younger kids. Always help young children use
the sink or tub. If you have toddlers, use
toilet seat locks and doorknob covers. Always
keep bathroom doors closed.
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BATHROOM SAFETY
Keep a grip Everyone, especially older adults,
needs sturdy support on the ground and within
arms reach to prevent falls in the bathroom
Install secure grab bars in bathtubs and showers,
and near toilets. New models are attractive and
easy to install. Use a non-slip mat or adhesive
safety strips inside the bath or shower. Use
bathmats to catch drips, and always wipe up
spills immediately.
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CHILDRENS ROOMS - NURSERIES
Follow these steps to avoid choking or
suffocation hazards Place infants to bed on
their backs on a firm mattress. Dont put
pillows, comforters, or toys in cribs. Look
carefully at toys and dispose of those with small
or broken parts that could become lodged in an
infants throat. Coins, latex balloons, nuts,
hard candiesif it fits through a toilet paper
tube, it can cause young children to choke. Keep
these items out of reach. Check www.cpsc.gov
for recalls of toys and other consumer products.
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THE HOME OFFICE
Today, many people work out of their homes. You
can make your workspace safer for your family
with just a few simple steps If you have small
children at home, use a doorknob cover to keep
them from entering the office alone. Install
safety covers on unused electrical outlets.
Shredders, paper cutters, desktop equipment, and
other hazards should be placed well out of
childrens reach. Make sure taller bookcases
are bolted to the wall so they cannot tip. Keep
power strips and electrical cords out of walkways
and be sure not to overload them.
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WINDOWS
Window falls among children are common,
especially in the spring and summer Install
specially designed window guards on upper windows
to prevent children from falling out. Make sure
they have a quick-release mechanism to allow them
to open from the inside in case of a fire. Move
furniture away from windows. Never leave
children unattended near open windows.
Window-blind cords can present a serious
strangulation hazard. Clip the loops in window
cords and place them up high where children cant
reach, or upgrade to cordless blinds.
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THE STAIRWAY
Falls are by far the leading cause of home
injury, accounting for 5.1 million home injuries
and nearly 6,000 deaths a yearthe vast majority
occurring among adults age 65 and older. Less
than 1 in 5 U.S. adults say that falls are their
top home safety concern.
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THE STAIRWAY
Consider these stair safety tips to protect
everyone in your household In homes with young
children, use sturdy safety gates at the top and
bottom of stairways. All stairways and steps,
no matter how short, should have handrails on
both sides. Install bright lights with on/off
switches at the top and bottom of each stairwell
and over porches and entryways. Keep stairways
and steps clear of all objects. Never use the
stairs for temporary storage or for displaying
decorative items.
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THE GARAGE
Safely store the dangerous stuff Hazardous
substances sit side-by-side in your garage and
they dont mix well with others Store
dangerous chemicalsincluding automotive fluids,
pesticides, charcoal lighter, paint thinner, pool
chemicals, antifreeze, and turpentinein
containers with child-resistant caps, in locked
cabinets. Wear gloves and a mask when handling
these chemicals, and do not mix together. Keep
these products in their original containers.
Gasoline is highly flammable and should be stored
in small quantities in a tightly sealed, approved
safety container and away from appliances with a
pilot light, such as a hot water heater. Keep it
in a separate, locked shed if possible.
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THE BACKYARD
Protect in the pool Keep a constant eye on your
kids in and around the pool Install isolation
fencing that encloses all four sides of the pool,
is at least five feet high, and has a
self-closing, self-locking gate. The fence should
separate the house from the pool. Always keep the
gate closed and locked. Assign at least one
adult water watcher whenever kids are in or
near the poolor around any container or body of
water, including ponds, bathtubs, toilets, and
buckets. That persons sole responsibility should
be to watch the children closely. No child or
adult should be allowed to swim alone without
another adult present.
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THE BACKYARD
Secure the playground Before your kids slide down
a slide or climb aboard a swing, follow these
tips Test to see whether playsets are safe and
sturdy, and make sure they do not have loose
connections. Cover areas under and around play
equipment with soft materials such as hardwood
chips, mulch, or pea gravel. Materials should be
9 to 12 inches deep and extend six feet from all
sides of play equipment. Use play equipment and
accessories appropriate for your childrens age.
Children under age five should not play on
anything above five feet high.
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THE BACKYARD
Safeguard your lawn garden Before mowing the
lawn or throwing steaks on the grill, understand
that the equipment itself needs to be handled
with care Mowing safety Before mowing, check
your lawn for any objects that could shoot from
under the blade, and check that all guards are in
place. When mowing, keep children inside the
house or well away from the area. Use safety
goggles and hearing protection.
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THE BACKYARD
Grilling safety Use only starter fluid made for
barbecue grills when starting a fire in a
charcoal grill. Always follow directions on the
label. Never use a match to check for fuel leaks.
Never leave barbecue grills unattended while
in use. Keep grills at least three feet away from
other objects, including the house and shrubs or
bushes. Before discarding any ashes, make sure
they have completely cooled. Add water and stir
to put out buried embers. Transfer to a metal can
with a top.
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PET SAFETY
We love our pets like family, so plan for their
safety as you would for any loved one. Remember
that their well-being depends solely on your
smart decision-making. Keep chemicals such as
antifreeze away from pets. Include pet food and
supplies in your disaster preparedness kit. A
home fire sprinkler system protects pets, too If
a fire breaks out when youre away, sprinklers
can control the fire, often fully extinguishing
it. Keep people safe from your pets According
to the Centers for Disease Control, each year
800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog
bites half of these are children.
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top 10 home safety tips

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home
  and outside every sleeping area. Test them
  monthly. If your smoke alarms are ten years old
  or more, replace them. If you build or remodel
  your home, install fire sprinklers.
• Develop a fire escape plan for your family Point
  out two exits from each room, pick a meeting spot
  outside, and hold a fire drill at least twice a
  year.
• Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking
  on the stove.
• Keep all stairways, paths, and walkways well lit.
  Use railings.
• Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and
  use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips
  inside bathtubs and showers.

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top 10 home safety tips

• Post the National Poison Control Hotline number
  (1-800-222-1222) and other emergency numbers next
  to every phone in your home.
• Install child locks on all cabinets used to store
  dangerous items such as poisons, matches, and
  lighters. Install carbon monoxide alarms.
• Keep your water heater setting at 120F or less.
• Install four-sided pool fencing with self-locking
  and self-closing gates. Fencing should
  completely isolate the pool from the home and be
  at least five feet high.
• Constantly supervise children in or near bodies
  of water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs, toilets,
  and buckets.