Our home is a place we are familiar with. It is the place where we spend a large part of our time. We eat, sleep, bathe, laugh, cry and do many other things in it. Thus, in the course of doing so many things there, it is no wonder that we do meet with accidents in it.
Many of the accidents in the home have to do with how we use our tools and utensils. Usually, carelessness is the cause of these accidents. A slip with a sharp knife is enough to draw blood. A careless blow with a hammer can result in a swollen thumb. These are examples of minor accidents. We have our share of these mishaps. The normal solution is to open the medicine cabinet and treat minor injuries. Most of these accidents can be avoided if we are more careful. However human beings are prone to make errors when they are bored with everyday routine. So, these accidents will continue to happen. It is a good idea to keep our medicine cabinets well-stocked.
There are some accidents in the home that can have far more serious or even fatal consequences if they are allowed to happen. These are the ones that we must avoid.
Electricity is a very useful thing in our house. It runs so much of our appliances that life would be very different without it, however, electricity can be a killer in the event of an accident. There are many cases where people have been electrocuted in their own homes. In most cases, it is because of the victims’ carelessness or ignorance.
Using old and faulty electrical appliances is simply inviting electrocution. It is important that the appliances are properly wired and grounded. If in doubt always consult an electrician or buy new appliances, or, do not use the appliance.
No single PowerPoint should be overloaded. It is convenient to use a multi-extension socket so that we can plug in our television set, radio set, refrigerator, and iron all in one PowerPoint. It is also very foolish and dangerous to do so. The overloaded wire to the PowerPoint can heat up so much and thus catch fire. The result can be disastrous as many house owners found out to their dismay. The rule is one appliance for one PowerPoint. That would be safe enough.
Always unplug an electrical appliance that is not in use, especially when a home handyman is attempting to repair a faulty one. Unless we know what we are is doing, we should not repair our own electrical appliance. We may regret it if we are still able to.
Also, it is very unsafe to mess around the meter and fuse box. These things are not meant to be serviced by an ordinary house owner. Again, professional help is safer.
Another potentially dangerous place in the home is the kitchen. The gas cylinder should be handled properly and not be thrown about. The gas head and the pipes to the stoves should be periodically checked to ensure that there is no gas leak. Any leakage can have explosive and fatal consequences. Knives and other utensils should be stored away from young children.
Talking of young children, we should make sure our medicine cabinets are securely locked so that inquisitive hands cannot reach the medicines. These little ones may mistake colorful pills for sweets.
After taking all these precautions accidents will still occur. They cannot be totally eliminated, but they can be reduced if the above suggestions are followed. By reducing the possibilities of accidents we make our home a safer and better place to live in.