Use These Safety Tips to Avoid Three Common Home Hazards


Considering how often we find ourselves rushing, multitasking, or watching a YouTube clip instead of keeping an eye on the stove or our next step, home accidents will happen. In fact, each year, 21 million Americans seek medical attention for home injuries. Guarding against common home hazards is a matter of making a few precautionary tweaks (like updating your smoke alarms). Here are the three leading causes of at-home safety problems, according to the CDC, and tips from top safety experts on how to avoid them.

Home Hazard: Fires and Burns

Nearly 140,000 people are injured in home fires in the United States each year, says the CDC, and 3,800 are scalded by tap water.

1. Upgrade your smoke alarms. If you haven’t replaced your smoke alarm in the last 10 years, it’s time for a new one. The latest models are wireless and interconnected, so when one alarm sounds, they all go off, says Lorraine Carli, vice president of communications for the National Fire Protection Association. Choose alarms with the UL label (which stands for Underwriters Laboratories and means it’s been tested by a certified lab). Both Kidde and First Alert offer wireless options ($40; amazon.com).

2. Use flameless candles. In 2005, candles caused 15,600 home fires in the United States. Eliminate that risk by choosing battery-operated flameless candles. They’re easy to find at major retailers ($23 for a two-pack; Target).

3. Turn down the water temperature. Two seconds of exposure to 150° F water can cause a third-degree burn, so set your water heater to 120° F, says Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. Test your tap temp by letting the hot water run for a minute, then hold a thermometer in the stream. If it’s over 120, check your owner’s manual for instructions on lowering the thermostat.

Home Hazard: Falls

Each year, 1 million adults over age 25 are injured in falls at home.

1. Downsize your laundry basket. Falls down stairs are one of the most common causes of home fatalities, and a large, heaping laundry basket increases the risk because you can’t see your feet, says Nancy Broderick, an occupational therapist in Norwell, MA. Use a smaller one so you can observe where you’re going, and keep stairs clear of clutter.

2. Watch your step on ladders. Each year, more than 164,000 of us are treated in emergency rooms after falling from a ladder. Before using one, make sure it’s sturdy and you aren’t feeling woozy, says Janet Rapp, the executive director of the American Ladder Institute, and always maintain three points of contact (e.g., two feet and a hand). For stepladders, don’t stand on the top two steps. With extension ladders, use the 4-1 rule, which says that for every 4 feet between the ground and upper point of contact, move the ladder’s base out 1 foot.

Home Hazard: Medication Errors

Each day, 2,000 people are treated in ERs for accidental drug poisoning, and about 75 people die—that makes for more annual fatalities in adults ages 35 to 54 than car crashes. Rates of accidental overdoses, primarily from prescription painkillers such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and methadone, have tripled for women since 1999.

1. Get organized. Make a list of the medications you’re taking, and share it with your doctor when she prescribes something new, says Matt Grissinger, RPH, director of Error Reporting Programs for the Institute of Safe Medication Practices: “It should include all your prescription medications, over-the-counter products, and herbals.” As a double check against potential interactions, show the list to your pharmacist as well.

2. Consult the Poison Control Center. It’s after hours and you’re sick-and you’re wondering if it’s safe to take that OTC decongestant with your prescriptions. You might not think to call the Poison Control Center, but if your doctor and pharmacist are unavailable, it’s a good resource, says Appy. The hotline operates 24 hours a day and is staffed by pharmacists, nurses, and doctors (800-222-1222).

3. Keep tabs on Tylenol. Acetaminophen overdoses are up because the drug hides in so many products, says Grissinger. Besides Tylenol, acetaminophen is in OTC cold medicine and prescriptions such as Vicodin and Percocet. If you take a combination of these products, it’s easy to get too much acetaminophen (over 4 g a day), which could lead to acute liver failure. Always read the ingredients panel, and check with your doctor or pharmacist if you’re unsure before taking any cold medicine.

From Prevention Magazine



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