Home inspection companies provide a variety of services, and one is making sure that your home is safe for the while family, including children. Dave Park runs his own home inspection company, Advantage Inspection, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and talks here about a program that works to ensure that all homes are safe for everyone.
Safe Homes for Safe Kids is a nonprofit organization working to promote child safety in the home, on the streets and from the effects of drugs and alcohol. This message is promoted through Free Child Safety Fairs and fundraisers to bring safety information and education to children and families everywhere. The Child Safety Fairs bring together local police departments, fire departments, small and large businesses as well as many national organizations who share their individual messages regarding home safety, stranger danger, fire safety, “just say no” and much more. The events are sponsored by the Advantage Companies and other businesses like them, so fundraising is important to Safe Homes for Safe Kids. Contributions are tax-deductible and the smiles on the faces of the children are priceless.
Making Your Home Safe
While most of us feel safest when at home, statistics prove that most accidents and fatal injuries (especially with children) occur there. It is important to make sure your home is safe for your family, and practice safe behavior.
Below is a checklist of safety items. How does your home stack up?
Key Household Devices
- Install latches and locks on kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
- Install safety gates at stairs to prevent access.
- Install doorknob covers and locks to prevent access to possible dangerous areas.
- Set the temperature on your hot water heater to 100 degrees.
- Ensure you have smoke detectors near bedrooms and on each level of your home.
- Install carbon monoxide (CO) detectors near each bedroom.
- Use window guards to prevent falls from windows.
- Install corner and edge bumpers on edges of furniture.
- Place outlet covers to help prevent electrocution.
- Install Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) devices for the receptacles serving the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, exterior, crawl space, whirlpools, spas, pools and fountains.
- Cut window blind cords to help prevent children from strangling.
- Make sure you have fire extinguishers and that all adults in the house know where they are located and how to use them.
Key Household Safety Practices
- Post emergency numbers on the refrigerator and by telephones.
- Cover pools when not in use and fence them in with self-locking gates.
- Store matches and lighters in a safe place.
- Store medicines out of reach of children in their original, childproof containers.
- Securely store guns with trigger locks in place.
- Check smoke detector batteries monthly.
- Teach children what to do when they hear a smoke alarm.
- Contact an electrician if you notice any taped or spliced wires.
- Review operation manuals for safe use of fuel-burning space heaters.
- Check range hood filters every few months for grease build-up.
- Securely store household cleaners, detergents, and pesticides.
- Always cook on the back burners.
- Apply anti-skid tape to rugs.
- Use a rubber mat in your bathtub to prevent slipping.
- Keep plants, poisonous or otherwise, out of children’s reach.
- Keep Syrup of Ipecac on hand for use as directed in poisoning emergencies.
Environmental Concerns
- Have your home tested for radon gas levels and mold.
- If your home was built before 1978, get a lead paint inspection.
- Change the air filters in your HVAC system regularly.
- Test your fuel burning appliances for carbon monoxide output.
Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, Safe Homes for Safe Kids educates people of all ages about home safety. For more information, visit www.safehomesforsafekids.org or call 1-877-577-4742.
