For decades, we have been living in a fast-paced and demanding world. It has become difficult to slow down and even more challenging to focus. People have been struggling to keep up with the pace of it all. But things seemed to come to a halt when the coronavirus pandemic hit. People were all told to find safety at home to avoid the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19. At first, staying at home was a welcome relief from work and school for many. They could now spend quality time with the kids, pick up a new hobby, or reconnect with friends. During the lockdown, people made use of the time with their families and stayed safe at home.
While people are safe from the virus, is your home truly a safe place?
Home Safety Is Crucial
Staying at home and practising social distancing are essential safeguards to battle the pandemic. Still, there are also many common health hazards at home. Lockdown measures have shed some light on accidents in the home and why it is vital to know more about how to prevent home accidents.
According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), 70 people die because of home accidents in a year in Northern Ireland alone, and about 70,000 go to A&Es to get medical help. The RoSPA Facts and Figures also state that most home accidents happen in the living room than any other room in the house. However ominous the figures may sound, these hazards at home are preventable, that is, if you know where to look. Identifying risks and dangers is taking the first step to preventing common accidents at home.
The most vulnerable to risks and hazards in the home are the young and old. To parents, child safety is first and foremost. Now that many parents opt to work from home, they are in a better position to ensure safety measures at home as long as they have access to home safety information.
If you are a parent, it is advisable to have a home safety checklist so you can check every room in your house—from the living room to the bathroom—for any hazards that may pose a danger and even injury to your child.
Child Safety
Why young children? Because of their physical development stages, these little ones—babies and those under-fives—are more likely to become injured while engaging in their normal exploratory behaviours. Babies who are just months old can crawl their way to dangerous situations, like the edge of a couch or tabletop. They still lack the judgement or recognition of risks to avoid these dangers. As parents or even childcarers, you have the responsibility to identify hazards and know how to prevent home accidents.
Home Safety Check
To start your checklist of home safety tips, let’s have a quick run-through of the common risks and hazards in and around your house.
The kitchen is a dangerous place with the many sharp items and household chemicals that are often stored there. These should always be kept out of reach of children. It’s also good practice to put child safety locks or safety latches on cabinets and drawers.
The bathroom can also be a dangerous place. Always remember to supervise children when bathing them in the tub and avoid leaving the bathroom for quick errands. To prevent anyone from slipping, use non-skid mats or strips.
In the living room, check for dangling electrical cords from the TV or phone chargers. Young children can pull these cords, and the appliance could topple over them, or they might accidentally get strangled when they play with the cables.
When the kids are out playing in the yard or near the garage, it’s better to install child safety gates to prevent them from venturing into hazardous areas, like the swimming pool or the tool shed. Remember to take your car keys with you when you have safely parked your car inside the garage and lock the car doors as well.
Safety at home is a doable goal as long as you follow a home safety checklist. It may seem like a lot, but with an app to guide you, you’ll be able to easily spot and eliminate your home hazards. Download our HomeSafety app for FREE. It’s available on the App Store, or you can get it on Google Play. With this app, safety in the home is possible for you and your family.
DOWNLOAD THE HOMESAFETY APP
RECOMMENDED BLOGS FOR YOU
