Healthy Homes

Keep Your Family Safe at Home

The #1 way people get hurt in their homes is by falling.

Many people also get hurt in fires and burned or poisoned at

home every year. There are ways to protect your family from being hurt

from falls, fires, burns, and poisons at home. Check every room and make your home safer.

Turn up the lights

Have lots of light at the top and the bottom of the stairs.

Have nightlights in the bedroom, hall, and bathroom.

Have a flashlight that works.

Make the bathroom safe

Have a grab bar by the toilet.

Have a grab bar in the tub or shower.

Have a mat or non-slip strips in the tub.

Wipe up spills when they happen.

www.homesafetycouncil.org

Protect stairs and steps

Have handrails on both sides of the stairs.

Make sure handrails go from the top to the bottom of the stairs.

Don’t use small rugs at the top or bottom of stairs.

Don’t put things on the stairs that you can trip over.

Don’t let water get too hot

Set your water heater at 120 degrees F or less.

Don’t let little children use the sink or tub without help.

Have smoke alarms that work

Have smoke alarms on every level of your home.

Make sure a smoke alarm is near every bedroom.

Test each smoke alarm every month, push the test button until you hear a loud noise.

Put new batteries in your smoke alarms at least one time each year.

www.homesafetycouncil.org

Have a home fire drill

Know how to get out fast if there is a fire.

Find two ways out of every room – the door and maybe the window.

Have a place to meet in front of your home.

Practice your plan two times a year with your family.

Know the number to call for poisoning -

Know to phone 1-800-222-1222 if someone takes poison.

Keep the number by every phone.

Lock up poisons

Know the things in your home that are poisons.

Look at the things you use to clean and fix up your home and car to see if they are poisons.

Check for the words “Caution”, “Warning”, or “Danger” on the box or bottle.

Medicines are poisons too.

www.homesafetycouncil.org

Put these things away, lock them up, put them in a place where

children cannot see them or reach them.

Keep poisons away from food and drinks.

Protect your family from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning

Have a service person check heaters, stoves and fireplaces every year to see that they work well.

Have a CO alarm to tell you if the gas levels are too high.

Falls Prevention Checklist

Prevent Falls

Have handrails on both sides of stairs and steps. Make sure handrails go from

the top to the bottom of stairs.

Have lots of lights at the top and bottom of the stairs.
It is easy to trip on small rugs. Tape them to the floor or do not use them at all.
Keep the stairs clear.
Have nightlights in the bedroom, hall and bathroom.
Have a mat or non-slip strips in the tub and shower.
Have a bath mat with a non-skid bottom on the bathroom floor.
Have grab bars in the tub and shower.
Wipe up spills when they happen.

Protect Young Children