Home Safety Council

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (April 2008)

The Home Safety Council (HSC) is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing home related injuries that result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes. The Home Safety Council is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization located in Washington, DC.

Official site: Home Safety Council

Five Leading Causes of Home Injury:

1. Falls

2. Poisoning

3. Fires/Burns

4. Choking/Suffocation

5. Drowning

Ten Tips to a Safer Home

1. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them monthly.

2. Develop a fire escape plan for your family that identifies two exits out of every room and designates where to meet outside. Practice makes perfect – hold a family fire drill at least twice each year.

3. Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking on the stove.

4. Keep all stairways, paths and walkways well lit.

5. Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.

6. Post emergency numbers including the National Poison Control Hotline number (1-800-222-1222) next to every phone in your home.

7. Install child locks on all cabinets used to store potentially dangerous items.

8. Keep your water heater setting at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

9. Install four-sided fencing with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be least five feet high.

10. Constantly supervise children in or near water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs and buckets.