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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, August 26, 2005

10 ways to play it safe in and around your home

By Kathy Van Mullekom
Knight Ridder News Service

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Unintentional home injuries cause more than 20 million medical visits annually, according to the Home Safety Council.

That makes this a good time to evaluate and improve the safety around your house and yard.

Here are some tips from the council to help you find ways to prevent accidents at home.

  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them monthly.
  • Develop a fire escape plan for your family that identifies two exits out of every room and where to meet outside. Hold a family fire drill at least twice each year.
  • Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking on the stove.
  • Keep all stairways, paths and walkways well lit.
  • Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a nonslip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.
  • Post emergency numbers next to every phone in your home, including the Poison Control Hotline at (800) 222-1222. Also, program these numbers into your cell phone.
  • Install child locks on all cabinets used to store dangerous items.
  • Keep your water heater setting at 120 degrees or less.
  • Install four-sided fencing with self-locking gates. Fencing should isolate the pool from the home and be at least five feet high.
  • Constantly supervise children in or near water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs and buckets.

    To learn more about how to stay safe in and around your home, see homesafetycouncil.org.