7 Tips to Prevent Accidents at Your Home

When it comes to your home, safety first is a good rule to follow. And there are many steps you can take to limit home accidents.

Making sure you have proper smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is at the top of the list.

On a daily basis, your hands can face many hazards around the house. In the kitchen, keep knives sharp — the extra effort needed to use a dull knife can lead to cuts if your hand slips.

When you need to open something that is enclosed in clamshell plastic packaging, it might be tempting to use a sharp kitchen knife. But this practice causes thousands of hand injuries every year. The AARP instead recommends using a can opener or blunt-tipped scissors to open such packaging.

To avoid being scalded by hot tap water, lower the setting on your water heater to 120 degrees. This is especially important if you have young children in the home.

In your backyard, keep your grill at least 10 feet away from your home and any plants surrounding it or on a deck. Never add lighter fluid after you’ve started a grill fire.

When using a power lawn mower, wear goggles, long pants and close-toed shoes with soles that grip, experts at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore recommend. Clear any brush or tree branches from your lawn before you mow, and avoid mowing in severe heat to minimize your risk of heat exhaustion and related illnesses.

When it comes to hot tubs and swimming pools, electrocution is as much of a danger as drowning, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Have a professional periodically check underwater lights and other electrical wiring. If needed, upgrade to GFCI, ground fault circuit interrupters.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has advice on avoiding falls, a leading cause of home accidents, especially as you age.