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By Dana Sullivan
Since in-home accidents result in more than 20,000 injuries and 21 million visits to doctors and emergency rooms each year, the Home Safety Council has designated June as Home Safety Month.
Do your family a favor and take some time out to make your home as safe as possible. A great place to start: your child’s bedroom. “Parents need to create a safe sleeping environment for their babies, toddlers, and children” says Meri-K Appy, president of the non-profit Home Safety Council board. Make sure your infant’s crib is to code, always secure blind and shade cords (when left to dangle, they pose a strangulation hazard) and install window guards. To take a virtual tour of a safe nursery, visit www.mysafehome.org.
If you haven’t already, install a carbon-monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poison you can’t see, smell or taste. "Infants are particularly prone to poisoning from this deadly odorless, invisible, and tasteless gas," she adds.
Other home safety musts: (Print out this article and use it as a checklist to chart your progress):
To prevent poisoning:
Keep the national poison control center toll-free number --1-800-222-1222 -- by every phone in the home.
Look around your home—under the sink, in the garage—for cleaning products and automotive fluids that say “Caution,” “Warning” or “Danger” on the label. Store these away from food, in locked cabinets out of sight and reach of children.
Install child locks where potentially harmful items are stored.
Be sure cleaning products and other household substances have child-resistant closures and are locked away.
Keep all medicines and vitamins in original containers in a secure area—away from children.
Store dangerous chemicals such as pesticides, automotive fluids and paint thinner in a secure locked cabinet.
Always store gasoline in an approved container.
To prevent falls:
Make sure hallways, stairways and other dark areas in the home are well-lit at night with night-lights.
Use a rubber bath mat or non-slip strips in the tub.
Wipe up spills and splashed bathwater promptly.
Make sure that all stairways with more than two steps have handrails along both sides, secured along the full length of the stairway.
Keep stairs and pathways clear of clutter.
Install baby gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
To prevent fires and burns:
Check the setting of your water heater and make sure it’s set no higher than 120 degrees F.
Install smoke alarms on each level of your home—especially in or near sleeping areas.
Test each smoke alarm every month by pushing the test button until you hear a loud noise.
Replace smoke alarm batteries with new ones at least once each year.
Know how to escape a fire. Find two exits out of every room – the door and possibly a window.
Choose an outside meeting place in front of the home. Practice your plan twice a year with all members of the family.
Never leave the stove unattended while you are cooking.
Be sure to lock matches and lighters away from children.
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