Essential Safety Items For Every Home

According to the National Safety Council, there are essential items that no home should be without. They include items ranging from phone numbers to smoke detectors, to evacuation plans. The Council suggests conducting a safety inspection of your home twice a year, to ensure that you have each of these items, and they are working properly.

• Smoke Detectors Most home fire deaths occur between the hours of 10 PM and 6 AM, times when most of us would be asleep, and are a result of smoke and toxic gases. You should install a smoke detector on every level of your home, especially near sleeping areas, the basement, and the workshop. Test the batteries monthly, and replace them twice a year- create a routine in the spring and fall by replacing your batteries after you turn your clocks.
• Emergency Evacuation Plan Create a plan that provides for at least two exits from every room, and practice it with your family. If a fire does occur, leave everything behind, stay close to the floor in order to avoid the smoke, and feel for heat through closed doors before opening them.
• Fire Extinguishers Learn how to work a fire extinguisher before you need it, and stand near the exit of a room in case you need to escape a spreading fire. A multipurpose, dry chemical Class ABC fire extinguisher will put out flames from wood, cloth, paper, kitchen grease, and electrical equipment.
• Carbon Monoxide Detector A colorless, odorless gas, carbon monoxide is drawn into the home from improperly ventilated heaters, furnaces, stoves, and other areas of the home. It can cause headaches, nausea, and even death. Install a CO detector near the sleeping area of your home. You should replace the batteries once a year and have a professional check your furnace, stove, and chimney for proper combustion and ventilation.
• Flashlights At the very least, you should keep a flashlight on your nightstand in the bedroom, and in the basement. Make sure that your batteries are disposable, built-in, or rechargeable, and that they are always working.
• Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters This essential item shuts off the current in an electrical circuit if it detects a leak or short that could cause an electrical shock. A GFCI is needed in all damp areas such as the bathroom, the laundry room, the kitchen, and near the swimming pool.
• Tagged Shutoffs Know how to shut off valves for gas, oil, water and your home's main electrical supply. Tag each valve so that you can easily identify the switch in an emergency.
• Grab Bars Equip all bathtubs and shower stalls with grab bars that are anchored with long screws into wall studs, to help prevent a fall.
• Slip-Resistant Mats Be sure your bathtub or shower has a non-slip bath mat in it to keep you from slipping. Also, use nonskid rugs in the bathroom.
• Safety Glass Safety glass breaks in pellets, rather than shards of splintered glass. Thus, you can avoid an injury if a window, patio door, or other large glass panel breaks in your home. Look for a permanent mark in the lower corner showing the manufacturer's name, type of safety glass, and thickness.
• Handrails/Gates Every set of stairs, inside and out, should have handrails securely mounted to both sides of the stairs. Homes with children should have removable child safety gates at the top and bottom.
• Lighting Well-lit walkways and entrances, stairwells and hallways are not only safe, but they are welcoming and discourage intruders. Low-wattage night-lights I bedrooms and bathrooms help prevent late-night missteps.
• One-Step Step Stool Although it's tempting to climb onto the nearest chair to change a light bulb or reach an out-of-the-way shelf, you should use a sturdy, one-step step stool to prevent a fall.
• Safety Goggles Protect your eyes from flying debris or splashing chemicals by wearing safety goggles. Use them for home-repair projects, indoor cleaning, and yard and garage work.
• Tested Appliances All electrical and gas appliances, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should bear the certification mark of a qualified testing organization. Groups include Underwriters Laboratories, Canadian Standards Association or the American Gas Association.
• First-Aid Kit Keep a first-aid kit available for adults, but away from children. A first-aid kit is a first line of defense when someone has an injury. Personalize your kit by including prescription medications and their instructions.
• List of Emergency Phone Numbers Post emergency numbers by every phone in your house, including numbers for police, fire, doctor and the poison-control center. Make sure children know how to use and dial 9-1-1.
• Survival Kit A home-survival kit should include tools, a battery-operated radio and flashlight, clothing and bedding, containers of water, nonperishable food and a first-aid kit.