106 New Year’s Home Safety Resolutions for 2006

Falls:

1. Walk through your home to identify and remedy potential falling hazards. What to look for:
2. All stairs and steps should be protected with a secure banister or hand-rail.
3. Make sure all porches, hallways and stairwells are well lit. Use the maximum safe wattage in light fixtures. (Maximum wattage is typically posted inside light fixtures.)
4. Use nightlights to help light hallways and bathrooms during night-time hours.
5. Keep stairs, steps, landings and all floors clear. Reduce clutter and safely tuck away telephone and electrical cords out of walkways.
6. In homes with children, make sure toys and games are not left on steps or landings. When very young children are present use safety gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs.
7. Use a non-slip mat or install adhesive safety strips or decals in bathtubs and showers. If you use a bath mat on the floor, choose one that has a non-skid bottom.
8. Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls. Don't use towel racks or wall-mounted soap dishes as grab bars; they can easily come loose, causing a fall.
9. Install window guards to prevent young children from falling out of upper windows. (Select guards with emergency-release devices.)
10. Keep the floor clean. Promptly clean up grease, water and other spills.
11. If you use throw rugs in your home place them over a rug-liner or choose rugs with non-skid backs to reduce your chance of falling.
12. Use a sturdy step stool with hand rails when climbing is necessary.

Fire:

13. Keep volatile chemicals, such as fertilizers and turpentine, in their original containers in a locked storage area separate from the home.
14. Store gasoline in a garage or shed in a container approved for gasoline storage.
15. Never bring or use gasoline indoors; and use it as a motor fuel only.
16. Keep things that can burn away from your fireplace and keep a glass or metal screen in front of your fireplace.
17. Store matches and lighters in a locked cabinet.
18. Always stay in the kitchen while cooking.
19. Keep things that can burn, such as dishtowels, paper or plastic bags, and curtains at least three feet away from the range top.
20. Douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before dumping them in the trash.
21. When cooking, do not wear loose-fitting clothing, which can be ignited by hot burners or gas flames.
22. Never leave barbecue grills unattended while in use.
23. Keep grills at least three feet away from other objects, including the house and any shrubs or bushes.
24. Never leave burning candles unattended and do not allow children to keep candles or incense in their rooms.
25. Always use stable, candle holders made of material that won’t catch fire, such as metal, glass, etc.
26. Schedule an appointment with professionals to have chimneys, fireplaces, wood and coal stoves, central furnaces and space heaters inspected once a year and cleaned as often as necessary.
27. Keep space heaters at least three feet away from things that can burn, such as curtains or stacks of newspaper, and always turn off heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.
28. Be careful not to overload electrical outlets, extension cords and power strips.
29. Check all wires and cords for damage and cover all unused electrical outlets.
30. Protect bedrooms by having arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) installed. Contact a professional electrician to handle this job.
31. Develop a fire escape plan for your family that identifies two exits out of every room and an established meeting place outside. Practice makes perfect – hold a family fire drill at least twice each year.
32. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them monthly. The Home Safety Council recommends installing additional smoke alarms inside bedrooms.
33. Know how to extinguish a small pan fire by sliding a lid over the flames.
34. Teach every family member to “Stop, Drop and Roll” if clothes catch fire.
35. Consider having a home fire sprinkler system installed in your new home, or when you remodel.
36. Learn how and when to use a fire extinguisher.

Poisonings:

37. Follow medication dosages closely. Using multiple medications and/or using medications incorrectly may cause dizziness, weakness and other side effects which can lead to a dangerous fall. Make sure all potentially dangerous products (household cleaners, medicines, and typical garage items like antifreeze and pesticides) all have child resistant closures on them, are locked up, and are stored in high places.
38. Homes with young children should have child locks installed on cabinets.
39. Store food and non-food products separately. This protects consumers in the event of a leak in the product and reduces any possible confusion between items.
40. Make sure all medicines and prescriptions have not expired. If they have expired they should be flushed down the toilet and not thrown away in the garbage.
41. Immediately mop up puddles of anti-freeze and car oil in the garage or driveway. They are extremely harmful to children and pets.
42. Read the use and storage directions before using products. Original labels on product containers often give important first-aid information.
43. Wear gloves and follow manufacturer’s instructions when using harsh chemicals or cleaners.
44. Do not mix household products, because their contents could react together with dangerous results.
45. Post the national poison control hotline (1-800-222-1222) next to every phone.
46. To prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, have your home heating equipment inspected annually and install a UL-listed CO alarm near every sleeping area.
47. Walk through the most common rooms where potentially harmful products are stored including the kitchen, bathrooms and garage. Learn more about room-by-room poison prevention in Home Safety Council’s safety guide.

Disaster Preparedness Safety:

48. Anticipate Difficulties and Inconveniences Create plans to anticipate situations in order to be able to make informed decisions during a crisis. Physical and emotional stresses may cloud decision-making skills.
49. Determine Your Evacuation Plan Know the evacuation routes leading away from your community. Plan an alternative place where family members agree to meet in the event you cannot meet at home, and determine alternative modes of travel if transportation is disrupted. Remember; follow the advice of authorities about evacuation - they do not ask people to leave unless they believe lives are in danger.
50. Memorize Emergency Contacts Be sure each family member knows whom to contact - perhaps a friend or relative out-of-state - in the event local communications are impaired. Discuss any of your family's medical needs with someone out-of-town and in the immediate neighborhood. Make a list of insurance, banking, medical and other essential telephone numbers and account information and give it to a trusted family member. Consider including a spare charge card or ATM card with the list, so that you can access money in an emergency or they can access it for you.
51. Develop a Plan at Work Talk with co-workers to develop an internal emergency plan. Remember to include in your plan to assign specific responsibilities in the event of an emergency.
52. Plan how to Communicate in an Emergency Keep everyone's work, home, school, and cellular numbers updated and share them with everyone in the family. Remember that often in an emergency, cellular phones may not work because the systems are over-loaded. Because communications are difficult in an emergency, it makes sense to plan a family/friend “tree”, so you only need to make one or two calls, then others make designated calls on your behalf from there.
53. Keep a Battery-Operated Radio In the event of an emergency, you will want a battery-operated radio in order to listen to what local law enforcement and emergency management authorities are telling the community.
54. Strengthen Personal Fitness Be prepared for the physical requirements of dealing with circumstances outside your daily routine. Being healthy and alert can mean life or death.
55. Prepare Family Members - Especially Children Reassure children that adults will take care of them in the event of a disaster. Knowing there is a plan will minimize fear. Also consider the needs of older family members and close friends who live near you and involve them in your emergency plan and help them develop their own. Be aware of their medical needs and any immobility issues and help them craft solutions to potential problems ahead of time.
56. Plan for your Pets Plan where you will take your pets in the event you will stay at a hotel or other public place where pets are not allowed. Store leashes and pet carriers where they can be easily retrieved. Consider placing a bottle of water inside a carrier so your pet will have a temporary water supply close at hand if you have to quickly leave.
57. Maintain a Disaster Supplies Kit. Both natural and human-made disasters can create a need to be self-sufficient for a short period until help arrives.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Precaution: Heating Systems and Gas Appliances:

58. Install at least one CO alarm to protect sleeping areas.
59. Have a trained professional inspect, clean and tune-up central heating system and repair leaks or other problems; fireplaces and woodstoves should also be inspected each year and cleaned or repaired as needed.
60. Keep gas appliances properly adjusted and serviced.
61. Never use an oven or range to heat your home.
62. Never use a gas grill inside your home or in a closed garage.

Home Fire Precautions: Fireplaces and Wood Stoves:

63. Install at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and near sleeping areas
64. Burn only wood- not trash, cardboard boxes, or Christmas trees because these items increase the risk of uncontrolled fires.
65. Have a professional chimney sweep inspect the chimneys you use regularly every year for cracks, blockages and leaks and have them cleaned and repaired as needed.
66. Keep all persons and flammable objects, including wallpaper, bedding, clothing and pets, at least 36 inches away from fireplaces and wood stoves.
67. Open flues before fireplaces are used.

Portable Space Heaters:

68. Purchase electric space heaters that bear the mark of an independent testing laboratory, such as UL.
69. Turn off space heaters before leaving a room or going to sleep.
70. Supervise children and pets at all times when a portable space heater is in use
71. Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.
72. Never use space heaters to dry flammable items such as clothing or blankets.
73. Keep all flammable objects at least three feet from space heaters.

Power Outage Precautions: Lighting Sources and Perishable Food:

74. Stock up on batteries, flashlights, portable radios, canned foods, manual can openers, bottled water and blankets.
75. Use flashlights instead of candles to avoid a possible fire hazard.
76. Run water at a trickle to help prevent pipes from freezing and bursting if outside temperatures are below freezing for an extended period of time and your home has no heat.
77. Store perishable food outside in the snow or in an unheated outside building if power goes out.

Do-it-yourself Safety:

78. Keep a stocked first aid kit in every location that an injury may occur. First aid may make the difference between a quick recovery and permanent injury.
79. Post emergency numbers, including the national Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222) by each phone.
80. If you decide to install a fire extinguisher in your workshop, contact your fire department to learn how to select the proper type of extinguisher and when to use it.
81. When working with any product, check warnings and content labels to identify hazards.
82. Follow manufacturer's instructions and heed warning labels.
83. Use gasoline as a motor fuel only.
84. Gasoline must never be used indoors, because its flammable vapors can be ignited by even a tiny spark. Store gasoline in an outdoor shed or garage, out of children’s reach, in a vented container approved for gasoline storage.
85. Use caution with other flammable and combustible products. Properly dispose of oily rags after use and hang them outside to dry.
86. Falling and flying objects, especially when working in tight spaces, can pose a hazard to your head, face and eyes. Consider wearing hard hats, safety vests, protective eye wear and ear plugs while working.
87. If you allow someone to watch you work, make sure they wear protective gear too.
88. Wear chemical safety glasses when using hazardous solvents and cleaning products.
89. Wear safety glasses with side shields when using power tools.
90. Designate your work area as a “kid free zone” to keep young children out of harm’s way and out of the reach of tools and equipment.
91. Do not wear any loose or dangling clothing or jewelry that could become caught in moving parts.
92. Keep power equipment in good condition. Repair or replace damaged tools.
93. Read and follow manufacturer’s instructions and warnings on tools, power equipment and building materials.
94. Use heavy duty extension cords for tools such as trimmers and edgers listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for outdoor use.
95. Unplug the power cord before you do any trouble-shooting on a tool that is jammed or won't start, and never walk away from a plugged-in-power tool -- even for a few minutes.

Water Safety:

96. Always stay within touch supervision – keeping kids within an arm’s reach -- when your children are around standing water at home. This includes buckets, bathtubs, toilets and spas.
97. Always supervise young children during bath time. Never allow older siblings to supervise children in or around standing water.
98. Baby bath seats are not a safety device and should never substitute for adult supervision.
99. Drain the bathtub immediately after using.
100. Do not store electrical appliances such as blow dryers and radios near sinks and tubs. Keep these out of children’s reach at all times.
101. Set your water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below to reduce the risk of burns and scalds from hot tap water.
102. When bathing children, turn the cold water on first and then add warm water.
103. Keep bathroom doors closed and use door knob covers to prevent young children from accessing bathrooms.
104. Use toilet seat locks and keep toilet lids shut.
105. Be sure all buckets are emptied immediately after use and turned over with the opening face down.
106. Store large buckets out of children’s reach.