How to Keep Your Home Safe

We’ve all heard horror stories about houses suddenly going up in flames, someone dying as the result of a household fall, and a child or an adult being poisoned by household chemicals. Knowing how to keep your home safe is crucial, but all the information and details involved can be overwhelming. Dan Hannan, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), has written a book that makes it simple: "Preventing Home Accidents: A Quick & Easy Guide." Hannan, a veteran teacher of construction-safety courses approved by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, explains all you should know. To keep your home safe, he says, you need to have an overview of household risks, potential problems and techniques to solve them. Here are some tips to get you started:

Know Your Castle

For you to stay safe in your home, Hannan says, it’s essential to “know your castle” – to understand where everything is and what it does. Label all valves as well as all electrical panels. Make sure you know how to shut off the water to various parts of the house. If you’re not sure about all this (and most of us aren’t), Hannan advises having an expert (an electrician, a plumber) come over to explain it to you. Local utilities, he says, can help you locate pipes and wires beneath the ground so you (or a contractor doing another project) don’t accidentally break them.

Take a Class in First Aid/CPR “If you have not completed a class in first aid or CPR within the last two years,” says Hannan, “do so.” Your lifesaving skills can become rusty if you haven’t practiced them in a while. First aid and CPR can provide invaluable help in everything from a heart attack to dangerous insect bites. But don’t ever hesitate to call 911.

Watch Out for Falls--and the Bulbs That Cause Them Changing the lightbulbs on a chandelier like this is a pretty complicated task. But even switching out a bulb on a simple fixture has its hazards. Hannan says that falls are the most common home safety risks. This category includes falls from chairs, stars and ladders, not to mention slippery carpeting. And you can still be injured or killed by falls even if you’re in a single-story house or wouldn’t dream of doing any roof repair. For example, changing that lightbulb; Most of us have precariously balanced on a chair and fiddled with a bulb. If you have to do this, Hannan says, get a ladder and make sure it’s firmly on the ground. Always use something for its intended purpose. “A chair is not a ladder,” Hannan says.

Avoid Guesswork Repairs If you don’t know how to fix something, then don’t try. The last thing you need is to poke around a malfunctioning outlet, say, and hope you’ll eventually get it right. You won’t; call a repair person.

Be Prepared for Fire This is a big enough subject to have a book all its own, but here are some basics to keep in mind. Hannan recommends that you have an evacuation plan and that as soon as you realize it’s time for you and your family to go, then go. Don’t worry about valuables or papers; they can be recovered or duplicated. Make sure your smoke detectors have working batteries. Be aware of all fire hazards. A burning cigarette or unattended stove aren’t the only causes of fire; even excessive dryer lint can spark a blaze. And never, never try to put out a blaze by yourself. Call 911.

Steer Clear of Electrical Hazards Don’t even think about trying to repair a home electrical system on your own. Instead, call a licensed contractor. You can, however, increase your safety by monitoring how you use your electricity. Hannan points out that an extension cord is “a temporary wire…and should never be used to permanently deliver electricity." Take a look, too, at your power strips, which, says Hannan, “are frequently overloaded.” Buy power strips that have a circuit breaker so that they’ll shut off if the amount of electricity becomes excessive.

Store Chemicals Carefully Substances as ordinary as nail-polish remover (it’s flammable) and bleach (it’s an eye irritant and can be fatal) are hazardous. To prevent contact, breathing or ingesting chemicals, Hannan suggests that you store the substances, in cans or bottles, in a plastic bin to contain leaks. Work with containers that have small holes, not large ones, so you won’t pour out more than you want. Label containers with the name of the substances and use childproof caps. Finally, keep only as many chemicals as you need.

Get the Insurance You Need Hannan strongly recommends getting homeowners insurance that will cover all the disasters and accidents that can happen in your home. If your insurance person recommends a particular policy, don’t accept his or her word that it’s right for you – read it and make sure. If you’ve already got insurance, review your policy and see if you need additional coverage.

Take It Easy Whether you’re digging up your garden, shoveling snow or cleaning out the garage, you need to pace yourself. Hannan recommends doing some stretches before you begin. When you’re lifting boxes or bins, make sure they’re not too heavy. If the weight is OK for you, squat down and lift, using your hips, thighs and stomach. Never bend from the waist; you could injure your back. Don’t exhaust yourself or stay out in extreme heat or cold more than you have to.

Read All About It There’s a wealth of resources to tell you even more about home safety. Hannan’s book, “Preventing Home Accidents: A Quick & Easy Guide,” is a good place to start. He also blogs at www.danshomesafety.com. Online resources Hannan recommends include The National Safety Council (www.nsc.org), Safe Electricity (www.safeelectricity.org) , The American Association of Poison Control Centers (www.aapcc.org) , The American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) and The National Fire Prevention Association (www.nfpa.org).