They say “prevention is better than cure”, and when it comes to the safety of your family, this can’t be truer. Have you considered your home, and how safe every room and space is for you, your spouse, children or any other person living on the property? If not, now is the time.
Here are 6 valuable home-safety tips to secure your home against any unnecessary accidents or possible eventualities:
1. Check your electricity outlets
Thoroughly walk through your home, inside and outside, and check for any hazardous outlets and electrical faults. Overloaded plugs, open wires and cables can be very dangerous, and cause electrocution and open fires. Hire a professional to come and inspect and correct, if necessary, the wiring of your home. Also, if you have small children or babies around the house, baby-proofing all your plugs and power-outlets are an absolute must.
2. Test that your equipment works
It’s no use to have a home-security system installed in your home, but it doesn’t work properly. I’m talking about your smoke alarms, panic buttons, overall security alarms etc. Thoroughly test these on a regular basis, and check in with your security company should you need some training or assistance on these. You never know when you might need that panic button, and for it to not work at that dire moment, would be a crisis. Also from time to time, test the response time of your security company. A good one, should phone you or report at your door within minutes of one of your alarms being triggered.
3. Know your neighbours
Having neighbours you know and trust is of great value. You can always ask them to keep an eye on your property for any suspicious activity, look after it while you are away, and keep your spare key safe. You can do likewise for them. In case of an emergency, this relationship will prove very valuable.
4. Cover your pool
This is especially crucial if you have small children around. It’s not always possible to have your eye on your children every minute of the day, and drowning can happen within seconds. If unsupervised by yourself or other adults, make sure that your pool is completely covered and safe for kids to play around and not open to fall into. Even a little water is enough to drown in. Get professional services to help you with this.
5. Educate your children
Even from a very small age, train your children what to do in the event of an emergency, and if you or another adult are unavailable. Also make sure they know how to use the telephone and which numbers to dial in an emergency. Print it out in big letters and numbers and stick it close to the telephone. Include the numbers of your spouse, the neighbours, emergency services, police etc. If you can provide them with basic First-Aid training, that could prove to be very valuable.
6. Have a fully-equipped First-aid kit
A first-aid kit could save a life and should at all times be accessible and complete, and should also include information on CPR, the Heimlich Manoeuvre and emergency telephone numbers. This is what you should have in your First-Aid kit: Antiseptic liquid, Cotton swabs, Gauze, Cotton wool, Safety pins, Scissors, Bandages, CPR mouth piece, Latex gloves, Tweezers, Plasters, Thermometer, Antihistamine Cream or pills.
There you have it, 6 home-safety tips you can’t ignore. But before you can implement this, you need to have a home first. Are you house-hunting? Why not check out the King of Local Classifieds, Junk Mail, for Property for Sale. You’ll find the right home for you and your family!
