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Home Safety: 5 important aspects that a homeowner should pay attention to

16th May 2019 Print

The safety of a home is one of those things that you never realise is lacking, unless something goes wrong and it’s already too late. The only way to make sure that your house is prepared for emergencies and protected against external and internal hazards is to take precautions beforehand.

Experienced homeowners probably already know about most of the possible areas which require attention to maintain the safety of a home, but even they may find a few of the points that we are about to discuss quite insightful.

Fall Protection

Slipping and falling is not just one of the most common accidents in the workplace, but it is extremely common in homes too. Even when people fall at ground distance, then some people, the elderly in particular, can break their hips, wrists, ankles and elbows quite easily from a slip in the shower or anywhere else in the house. Besides, irrespective of age, there’s always the chance of someone falling on their head or bumping their head on the furniture or wall, which could even be fatal.

Slip and falls while climbing up or down the staircase can be very dangerous and are even linked to deaths at an alarming percentage of recorded instances unfortunately, so that’s where you should be paying the most attention.

Now, the question is, short of harnessing everyone up, what can you possibly do to prevent slip and falls in your home? The following should serve to provide a decent answer to that question:

- Install safety gates at the bottom and top of the staircases to prevent small children from climbing up them

- Handrails are a must, and they should provide a good grip

- Install a stairlift if you have physically compromised or very old family members at home

- A thick, lush carpet is unbeatable when it comes to breaking falls; it partially eliminates the risks of serious injury from a fall

- Carpet your stairs too if you can

- Rubber mats in showers work like a charm to give your feet the grip they need

- Choose a matt finish for the bathroom floor so that it offers better friction and grip

Poisoning

Poisoning from children eating or drinking household cleaners and other chemicals is very common, so this is an area which is particularly important to consider if you have toddlers at home.

Aside from children, even adults can get poisoned from their household chemicals, and sometimes from the house itself, if they are not aware or careful about the safety measures. Go through the following as we discuss what those safety measures should be to prevent both your children and yourselves form getting poisoned in your own home:

- Anything that is harmful, poisonous or just plain inedible (cleaners, pesticides, paint, makeup etc.) should be kept locked or on high platforms

- Never store inedible or poisonous products in food containers

- Label hazardous chemicals as such, if they are put in an unmarked container

- If the house is old, have it checked for asbestos and mould

- Try not to allow pesticides and other poisonous products inside the house

Boiler Safety

It is unlikely for a modern boiler to explode like the older models used to, but unless they are checked for pressure and maintained professionally on a regular basis, it’s not entirely impossible for a boiler to explode even today!

Even if explosion is not a concern, a faulty and unmaintained boiler can go down at any time during the winter, leaving you and your family in serious discomfort on the coldest of nights. The lives of small children and older family members can even be in danger if it’s really cold outside and there’s no heating in the house.

The solution to the whole problem of checking, servicing and repairing the boiler regularly is quite simple though, because taking out boiler cover can take care of all that and more. Not only will the engineers at a reputable home emergency company keep your boiler in top shape, almost eliminating the chances of ever experiencing a breakdown, but you are covered for emergencies even if that unlikely event does happen at some point in time.

In fact, it is advised that you opt for a home emergency cover plan, rather than just choosing a basic boiler cover. For example, the home emergency cover plans provided by Certi  (Cover 50) start at just £9.95 per month and they cover against almost all aspects of home safety and maintenance, including plumbing, drainage, pest control, emergency repairs, security measures, electrical faults and of course, any and all kinds of boiler problems. It’s a comprehensive solution for peace of mind, and you will find that some of the other safety aspects of your home are automatically taken care of by this one very affordable home emergency cover plan.

Fire Safety

Fire departments have a strict set of codes that every home is expected to follow for their own safety and that of the neighbourhood, so ensuring that you are not violating any fire codes should be your very first step towards this.

It only takes minutes for a fire to entirely destroy homes and lives, so it’s your duty to take all the necessary precautions that you possibly can to ensure everyone’s safety. Although the fire department would be able to advise you even better in this respect, take note of the following and see if you have left any of it unattended:

- Smoke detectors in every room is a necessity these days, but bedrooms, the kitchen, the attic and the basement take precedence

- Test the smoke detectors and alarms every once in a while, to make sure they are working

- You can get a smart alarm system, which will automatically alert the fire department on smoke detection

- Always try to use damp towels or blankets to put out a small fire, instead of throwing water on it

- Electrical fires and water is a recipe for explosions, electrocutions and deaths

- Smoking can kill in more ways than one; make sure you put out that cigarette butt properly

- Candles or any open flames should not be left unattended for long periods of time

- Get your electrical lines checked every now and then

Secured Doors and Windows

This particular bit depends entirely on the kind of neighbourhood you live in than anything else, but it’s never a bad idea to have strong, reinforced doors and windows. Double glazed glass for windows is not just extremely energy-efficient, it is also shockproof. Invest a bit in a quality home security system for those long holidays when you leave your home unattended.

The security of the very place where you and your family sleeps at night is extremely important and yet, we often forget to take the necessary steps to ensure that safety. Hopefully, by now, you have already been able to identify the specific areas that need the most attention to improve the overall security of your home. Just in case you already have home emergency cover and the rest of the points we discussed here covered, congratulations! You are one of the very few homeowners in the United Kingdom who can proudly say that with confidence.