Your home is meant to be a haven for you and your family, but on some occasions, accidents do happen. Mistakes are bound to happen, but your job should be to minimize them as much as possible.
To further protect yourself from risks your home are exposed to that you might not successfully minimize or avoid, you should get a home insurance policy. You can read British home insurances companies reviews on BritainReviews to know what insurance policy to opt for and where to get it. Here are some of the risks your home is exposed to and how to minimize them:
Falls
The leading cause of accidents in many homes is falling, and the category of people most affected are the elderly ones. Even though the younger ones fall too, it is easier for their broken bones to heal than a much older person. You can minimize the risks of fall by ensuring that you get rid of every spilt liquid or slippery item on the floor. Also, install safety gates at the top and bottom of your staircases. Put rubber mats or towels on the floor of your bathroom to prevent falling.
Gas and carbon monoxide
Both risks deal with breathing. However, it is easier to detect gas in your home than carbon monoxide because the latter can is detected by smell. To keep your family safe from these risks, install carbon monoxide detectors in your home and test them regularly to check if they are working. Check your heaters to ensure they are properly positioned to prevent danger. Once you detect any funny smell in your home, get your yourself and family out of that as soon as possible and call for help.
Fire outbreaks
In the United Kingdom alone, over 3,000 lives are claimed in fire accidents each year. As far as home accidents are concerned, fire is the third killer. To keep your loved ones and possessions from fire outbreaks, install smoke detectors in different areas in your home. Use a home alarm system that detects smoke.
When cooking, be extra careful. Don’t leave your food unattended to, and engage in other activities. Cooking is an activity that should be done with utmost carefulness and conscientiousness. Have your electrical work tested regularly to prevent fire sparks. If you smoke, extinguish your cigarettes well and don’t leave a candle to burn overnight, except you plan to hold a vigil with it.
Drowning
This is common to those who have swimming pools or ponds in their houses. If you have little children in such houses, you should be extra watchful of them. They can easily drown in water. To minimize this, never leave your children and babies all by themselves. if it is bath time and your phone rings, don’t rush to pick it. Your child is more important than whoever might be on the phone.
If you have a pond or swimming pool in your home, ensure you fence the area. Never leave your children in such places unsupervised. If you would be going out, take them with you or get someone to babysit them. Also, get a first aid box in your house so that you can apply treatments to lessen injuries and accidents before the doctor comes around.