Wednesday 1 January 2014

Tips On Managing Dangers In The Home

By Samantha Willside


There is so much to think about for someone who is doing their best to protect their family. If you have any children, you will understand this completely. Luckily there are a lot of observances during the year that remind us to take time out from our busy lives and think about safety. June is Home Safety Month, for instance. Parents especially should take a look at our list of top 5 hidden dangers in the home, and our solutions to some of these hazards.

Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer for good reason. Odourless and invisible, carbon monoxide causes more accidental poisonings than anything else. It can come into the house from a car running in an attached garage, from malfunctioning appliances, and fireplaces, among other sources.

The only real way to protect you and your family from this danger is to get a carbon monoxide alarm. Your home should have a detector on each level, basement included, and the sleeping areas should all have a detector. Your local fire department should be consulted so you can find out what the state laws are for where to place the detectors. And be sure to have your appliances checked regularly.

Your home must have fire extinguishers. Unattended cooking is the main reason behind home fires, so start by staying in the kitchen when you're using the stovetop, checking food frequently when it's in the oven, and keeping the range clear of anything that can catch fire.

Most people don't consider that cracks in the foundation to be dangerous but they can be. Most homeowners have not heard about radon, which next to smoking, is the second leading cause of developing deadly lung cancer. Cracks in the home's foundation could lead to this radioactive odourless gas to enter the home coming from the soil. Even if you don't have a basement, radon can still enter your home through cracks around service pipes and construction joints.

You can't see or smell radon, but you can easily test for it with an at-home kit.

It's little known how fast home fires can spread. If a smoke alarm is beeping, there can sometimes be only around 2 minutes to get your family together and exit the home before it spreads too far to exit safely. Escaping from a home that is on fire safely is dependent on having a fire alarm warn you, but for all residents to exit in time, you should have a plan worked out with your family. In a recent survey, it was indicated that only 29 percent of families have gone over their emergency exit strategy.

People generally don't consider break-ins to be much of a risk. Many of us believe that it's not something we need to consider, but the sad truth is that every 14 seconds there is a break-in somewhere. Here are a few simple steps to take to prevent break-ins to your home: have heavy-duty deadbolt locks installed on solid core entry doors; entries that are well-lit; metal grates should be installed on the windows in the basement; if there are bushes in the yard, keep them trimmed neatly so they can't be utilized by thieves to hide in. A safe will keep your most valuable belongings secure, so getting one will help you feel safer.




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