Preventing common safety hazards in your home
Whether you're living alone or with others, make sure you're aware of these common home injuries, and how to prevent them.
Common home injuries
One of the key things to remember for home injury prevention is to have a plan in place for some common scenarios.
1. Falls
Falls – one of the most common home accidents – can be extremely dangerous, especially if the injured person is unable to get help. They can happen to anyone of any age, but falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury in older Australians. Some complications from a fall could include:
- Broken bones
- fractures
- head injuries
- abrasions, and
- dislocations.
2. Burns
Burns can, and do, happen to everyone. However, as we age, burns may occur more frequently with greater impacts. This is due to a variety of reasons, such as a loss of strength, causing us to drop items. Or because we may be more likely to forget that a hot plate or kettle is on. With impairments and medical issues, complications can be severe.
3. Medication & food mix ups
Whether you’re older or simply a firm believer in daily vitamins, it's important to take the right medication at the right time, in the correct dosages. As we get older and the amount of medication and supplements we require increases, it can be difficult to keep up – which is a huge concern for in-home injuries. Side effects from mixing the wrong medications, taking incorrect dosages or simply not following the instructions properly can be fatal. This includes potential allergies to certain foods or products.
4. Lacerations
Lacerations sound dramatic, but they’re actually one of the more common home injuries. It can be something as simple as grazing past a sharp edge, or even trying to do a normally straightforward task that ends up causing a cut to the skin. With less durable skin, cuts and abrasions become far more hazardous due to infection.
Ways to prevent accidents at home
Reduce the risk of falls
Remove, or fix, slippery and uneven surfaces and trip hazards.
This could include things like:
- Laying out non-slip mats on tiles or in the bathroom or wet areas.
- Taping down cords.
- Laying down high visibility, non-slip tape on changes in elevation or potential hazards that cannot be easily fixed (eg. stairs).
Take precautions against fire hazards
- Never leave cooking unattended.
- Keep grills, fans and surfaces free of grease and residue.
- Keep tea towels safely away from the stove.
- Make sure clothing, curtains and other items are one metre away from heaters.
- Replace faulty appliances immediately.
- Test smoke alarms monthly, and do a yearly battery replacement.
- Don’t leave electric blankets on for more than 30 minutes.
For more tips on how to prevent a housefire, read this.
Safeguard against electrical hazards
- Regularly inspect power boxes, breakers, and switches.
- Never overload an outlet (it can cause wires to overheat).
- Avoid binding and knotting cables.
- Unplug unused appliances (this can reduce your electricity bill too).
- Unplug your toaster before trying to retrieve stuck toast.
- Childproof outlets to keep the grandkids, or any young visitors, safe.
- Hire licensed electricians for repairs and installations.
For more info on avoiding electrical hazards, read this.
Check in with your doctor regularly
It’s easy to become complacent when subtle health changes occur, but it’s important to regularly check in with your doctor for key things like eyesight and hearing checks, overall wellbeing and medication alterations. Things such as sensory and balance issues, whether caused by deteriorating health or medication changes, can be a big contributor to in-home injuries.
Get a medical alert device
A medical alert device can come in many different forms. Whether it’s a fall detecting smart watch, or a neck worn alarm – it’s always a good idea to have something wearable to alert emergency services or loved ones if you may need help. Some may be concerned that these devices may raise an alarm at the wrong time. However, the tech has advanced in recent times; and many new medical alert devices come with alarms that can be cancelled quickly and easily.
Label and tape accordingly
In alignment with eyesight issues, it’s important to ensure that medications and other items are labelled appropriately to avoid accidental misuse. An idea could be to get a day-by-day medication container, or to label each box of medication with their intended use in large letters.
It’s also a good idea to tape off or highlight sharp edges around the home to avoid cuts and scrapes.
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Apia Health Insurance is issued by nib health funds limited ABN 83 000 124 381 (nib), a registered private health insurer, and is marketed by Platform CoVentures Pty Ltd ABN 82 626 829 623 (PC), a Suncorp Group company. PC is an authorised agent of nib and receives commission from nib. nib is not a part of the Suncorp Group. Read the policy booklet before buying this insurance.
Please consider the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. The Target Market Determination is also available.
This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.
The information is intended to be of general nature only. Subject to any rights you may have under any law, we do not accept any legal responsibility for any loss or damage, including loss of business or profits or any other indirect loss, incurred as a result of reliance upon it – please make your own enquiries.
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