Tips To Prevent Slips, Trips, And Falls Around Your Home

Many everyday items throughout our homes can easily become dangerous hazards to ourselves, our family, and our guests. Here are some tips to help you take a clear look in and around your home to make sure that it is as safe as possible for you, your family, and your guests.

INDOOR HAZARDS

Just about anything that touches your floor could potentially be a hazard for someone to slip, trip, or fall inside your home. More than half of all falls happen inside the home. Here is what you can do to make your indoor space safer and more comfortable for everyone:

• Clear out clutter – if you have clutter taking up too much space in your walkways you will want to clean it out and find a proper space for it. Keeping your walkways clear is one of the best way to prevent trips and fall inside your home. You will want to pay attention for anything that may cause a tripping hazard such as shoes, toys, loose cords, etc.
• Be careful with rugs – rugs can easily slide and cause you to slip and fall, or you can also get caught on an edge of the rug and trip. It really is best to get rid of rugs, but if you must keep them around then you should use double-sided tape to make sure they are secured well to the floor.
• Use lighting to your advantage – the more well lit a space is, the easier it is to see any potential hazards in your way, and the less likely you are to be injured by a slip, trip, or fall. Make sure your light switches are easily accessible and are located at both the top and the bottom of your stairs (if you have any). You should also always have emergency lights available in case of a power outage.
• Use caution with wet or slippery surfaces – when your floors are wet from being recently mopped or from a spill, it is much more difficult for you to keep your balance. If a surface is wet, it is best to try to stay off of it until it has had time to completely dry. For surfaces that are regularly wet and slippery such as the kitchen, bathroom, and bathtub, it is best to use nonslip mats.
• Install hardware-mounted safety gates – if you have young children at home you should use safety gates that are properly mounted with hardware to keep your children from falling in dangerous areas, especially at the top of your stairs.
• Keep items accessible – instead of placing food, drinks, and cooking utensils high up in cabinets you can’t reach, keep them in cabinets that are going to be easily accessible, so you don’t have to use a stepstool or ladder to reach them.

OUTDOOR HAZARDS

There are also many hazards that can cause us to slip, trip, or fall around our homes outdoors. A lot of the steps you have taken to make the inside of your home safer can also help keep your home safer on the outside.

• Clear the walkways – you will want to make sure that any walkways are clear of hazards such as fallen debris from trees, lawn debris, garden tools, outdoor toys, etc.
• Pay attention to sprinkler systems – make sure your sprinkler system is installed properly and that when the system is on the water is not being sprayed onto your driveway and walkways.
• Install handrails – if your home has any steps or stairs leading up to the front door or a back patio, you will want to install handrails, no matter how few or many steps there are.
• Make sure there is proper lighting – it can be easy to forget about lighting outside of our home, however it is just as important to make sure there is enough proper lighting outside of our home as there is inside of our home. Having proper lighting will make it easier to see any potential hazards outside the home.
• Use caution with wet surfaces – wet surfaces are just as dangerous outdoors as they are indoors. Surfaces outdoors can become wet and slippery from the weather such as with rain and flooding, and sometimes may look like they are dry even if they are not.

You’re not going to be able to prevent every fall or hazard so it’s important to have a great homeowner’ss insurance policy in place. Call our specialist today for a quote.