Make your house safe and accident-free

Jagvir Goyal

In the Covid times, your house is the place where you are most likely to feel secure and safe. The increased time at home has led to more movement within the house, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. It is, thus, vital to ensure an accident-free living within the house. Here are some tips:

Make your bathroom safe

Bathroom is one area where maximum slipping accidents occur. A wet floor can sometimes cause a fatal injury. One slip, and your body can hit a projecting faucet or any sharp object there. Ensure that the bathrooms have unpolished rough flooring. If you have marble or tiles in bathroom floor, get an anti-slip treatment done. Else go for anti-slip tapes which remain effective for many years. Anti-skid tiles, if used, should be unpolished and have high coefficient of friction. Get grip handles near the toilet seat and in the bathing area. These are particularly handy for the elderly.

Light up the different level areas

Till a few years back, providing different levels of floor within the house was popular. A couple of steps were often provided between the drawing room, lobby and other areas. If you have any such areas in your house, keep these well-illuminated to avoid stumbling and falling at night hours. It is useful to provide footlights within the wall, especially along the steps, provided at the entrance of the house and in staircase.

Don’t ignore burning wire smell

Don’t ignore if you notice the distinct smell of a burning wire anywhere in the house. Locate it and repair it at the earliest. Often this can happen behind a switch plate due to a loose wire or at the multi-plug end. For safety, avoid using multi-plugs. An extension cord is a better option. Loose pin of a plug may also cause heating of electrical fittings. Switch off that particular point if you can’t do anything about it immediately.

Avoid using gas geysers

Fumes emanating from gas geysers inside the bathroom can be extremely dangerous. There have been cases where these have proven fatal. If already installed, either replace it with an electric geyser or shift the gas geyser to the outer side of the bathroom wall and connect to the taps inside the bathroom.

Never let your guard down

Often, a half-inch difference is kept at door sill of the flooring level from the balconies and bathroom floor. Be careful when entering the room as your foot can strike the edge of the floor, making you stumble. Likewise, be cautious when using overhead cabinet doors and chimney in the kitchen, which are sometimes designed at the head level. Take care when taking out something from inside a refrigerator, which has an upper freezer cabinet. Avoid using a stool to take out a jar or utensil from the upper shelves of overhead cabinets. If you have an option, ask a taller person to take it out for you.

Be safe, stay safe and stay healthy.