Household Safety Concerns and How to Put Them to Rest.

If you have one or more small children, there’s one thing that comes right along with them: constant concern for their safety.

Even with the proverbial second pair of “eyes behind your head,” there’s only so much you can do to guard against accidental slipping, falling, and other hazards of your domain.

That’s why we’ve compiled a list of household safety precautions, i.e., something you can print or bookmark to keep handy and take a look at now and again just to make sure something important doesn’t slide by you unexpectedly.

Baby watching inside kitchen ovenElectrical Matters

  • Check all outlets, plugs, and switches every 6 months to see if any are warm to the touch. If so, call an electrician you know and trust for service.
  • Cover any unused to wall outlets with plastic plugs to help baby-proof your home.
  • Check for and replace any frayed outlets.
  • Don’t overload your outlets. When in doubt, add more.
  • Make sure no extension cords are located under rugs, carpeting, or across common access spaces where they can be walked on.

Heating Matters

  • At the start of the heating system and after every snowstorm, check your heating system vents to make sure they are properly sealed and obstruction free. Otherwise, dangerous levels of carbon monoxide can back up into your home.
  • Have your heating system professionally cleaned and inspected once a year. That’s an effective way to help guard against electrical fires plus CO and gas leaks while also serving to help curb your home heating costs.
  • If you have a fireplace, only burn well-seasoned, dry wood. Anything else will cause creosote to build up in your chimney, and then you run the risk of a chimney fire.
  • Keep an eye on your water heater thermostat, too. The ideal temperature is 120 degrees to give you as much hot water as you need, but without an overt risk of scalding. Even still, don’t let small children wash their hands or brush their teeth unsupervised.

General Child Safety Matters

  • Purchase only those medicines and vitamins, etc., that have childproof safety caps.
  • Keep sharp knives off your counters and out of reach.
  • Install kitchen and bathroom cabinet looks.
  • Lock up anything that can be ingested as a poison. And always keep handy the toll-free number to the poison control hotline: 800-222-1222.
  • Teach your children to know your home address and how to dial 911; the latter is especially important should something happen to you while no other adult is at home.

You know there are at least another gazillion safety tips we also could include, right? Like using gates at the top and bottom of stairs, having a family fire escape plan and practicing it on occasion, and so on.   But, we didn’t want to make this list so long that it would be easier to ignore. Rather, we went for “just long enough” knowing that for every safety tip included, you could and no doubt will think of two or three more on your own.

For example, wouldn’t you feel more secure with a home burglar alarm system managed by a highly responsive and responsible alarm management company? The two don’t necessarily go hand in hand, mind you, but they do when you choose Now Security Systems. We can install and manage a brand new system for you or take over management of your existing system should you be unhappy with your current provider for any reason. Contact us today for a free and no-obligation quote. Because allaying concerns over safety and security is what we do best.