Safety in the Home

Written by: Nicole Teague
CIGNA Behavioral Health

Most of us like to think of home as a place we can turn to for comfort and protection. Yet, home is the very same place where a fatal injury occurs every sixteen minutes. It is the same place where more than 54,000 people in the United States die each year as a result of an accidental injury (National Safety Council, 2003).

Fortunately, the majority of injuries that occur in the home do not result in death. However, safety in the home still remains a topic of concern. As the National Safety Council (2003) reports, 1 out of every 19 people experience an injury in their home each year. By taking a few extra steps to make your home a safer place, you can minimize the risk of an accident occurring. Here are some tips on what you can do to try to prevent the most common causes of injury in your home:

Fall Prevention

• Keep hallways and stairwells well lit.
• Use a non-slip mat in bathtubs and showers.
• Make sure all stairs are protected with a secure banister or handrail.

Poisoning Prevention

• Keep medicines, chemicals, and cleaning products out of the reach of children.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector near all bedrooms.
• Install child locks on cabinets in homes with children.

Fire/Burn Prevention

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and near all bedrooms.
• Test smoke alarms once a month.
• Install new batteries in smoke alarms once a year.
• Have a fire escape plan.
• Use safety covers on outlets in homes with children.

Choking/Suffocation Prevention

• Always supervise children when eating and playing.
• Feed only age-appropriate foods to children.
• Allow children to only play with age-appropriate toys to reduce the risk of choking on small parts.
• Tie up window blind cords out of children's reach.

Drowning Prevention

• Never leave young children unsupervised, even for a moment, near standing water. This includes buckets, bathtubs, toilets, spas, and swimming pools.
• Install fencing with locked gates around swimming pools.
• Clear clutter near areas with water to prevent slips and falls.

It is important to know that there are many more steps you can take to increase safety in your home. Each home is unique and requires different safety measures to be taken. For example, some homes may have a swimming pool or children living in them, which can bring about additional safety issues. There are many resources available for more information on what you can do to keep yourself and your family out of harm's way. Use the list at the end of this article as a possible starting point.

Although it may seem like a lot of work to ensure that your home is a safe place, lowering you and your family's risk of injury is well worth the effort. Many people face injuries, and even death, each year that could have been prevented if the necessary steps would have been taken to prevent injuries from occurring. The extra time and effort involved may just save your life.

References:

To create your own safety checklist personalized to your home, check out the Home Safety Council's website at:
http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/resource_center/rc_checklist_w001.aspx

This website provides fact sheets which offer statistics, tips, and suggestions on what you can do to make your home a safer place:
http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/safety_guide/safetyguide.aspx

This material is provided by CIGNA Behavioral Health, Inc. for informational/educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical/clinical advice. Only a healthcare provider can make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment plan. For more information about your behavioral health benefits, you can call the member services or behavioral health telephone number listed on your healthcare identification card.