A home is a safe haven for your family, an almost sacred territory where your young ones will grow up and old ones have their peace. In order to provide the right care and safety for our family, sometimes the rest of us in our ‛golden years’ experience quite a tension, dealing with numerous unexpected things along the way.

 

It is not enough just to make the home safe from the outside, as there are a lot of health hazards lurking on the inside. There are a lot of things that can jeopardize the health of your young ones, although elderly people have the tendency to fall into the same ‛traps’.

 

In order to help you prevent all these accidents, we’ve put together a kind of a check-list of biggest and most common health and safety hazards every homeowner needs to be aware of.

 

 

Little (and no so little) explorers

In the early years of your life, the whole world is one big wonder, so it’s natural that you’ll have the need to go exploring before you even learn how to walk. And we all know that the explorations are full of dangerous obstacles - slippery stairs, scattered toys, wet floors, etc.

 

When you’re barely able to walk, there is a great chance that you could fall. And we’re not just talking about little ones - elderly people are also not so stable on their legs, although they won’t admit it. As a matter of fact, they are more likely to gain serious injuries.

 

Stairs are definitely the highest risk - while safety gates can take care of small children, a stubborn granny or grandpa will require securely fastened flooring, solid handrails, and adequate lighting.

 

Your next stop should be the most slippery part of the house - the bathroom. If you have rugs inside, make sure they’re completely secured, and non-slip stickers would be a nice addition. Although they’ll never admit it, older family members would appreciate if you would install supports for the bathtub since the balance is not one of their stronger sides.

 

We don’t need to point out that toys can’t be scattered all over the place, but you should be aware that there are also some additional steps once you’re outside, and keeping them clear from ice and snow during the winter should be a high priority.

 

 

The treasure hunt

The point of every exploration is to find some hidden treasure, although it’s fair to admit that old-timers are not that interested in material things. But small kids are a completely different story. When they find ‛the treasure’, the first thing they need to do is to determine what it is, and the best method is to put it in their mouth. And what comes in can easily try to go through and result in choking.

 

To prevent this from happening you should inspect the whole house for loose small parts and keep the small hard foods out of their reach. Since there is still a chance that they’ll find something you’ve missed (they’re explorers and you’re not), it’s recommendable to purchase a baby monitor so you can immediately hear any choking sounds.

 

Although elderly people don’t have a habit of putting things in their mouths, they can as easily get cut or burned. They think they’re still able to take care of the yard or they prefer to check if the stove is hot enough in an old-fashioned way. So keep the sharp objects out of the way and add stove knob covers.

 

 

The forgotten and unseen

To be fair, not only kids and seniors can do stupid things that are risky for their health. Forgetting to turn off the oven or to unplug some electric appliance can happen to an even most responsible grown up, so fire alarms are mandatory and a fire extinguisher can also come in handy.

 

But health risks are also in the air, where they can’t be seen. Many people are not aware of the poisoning possibility during the renovation of their home if they’re using lead-based paint. It needs a lot of preparation and cleaning up, not to mention the danger of your young ones making contact before it’s dried up. That’s why you should always make sure you hire experienced and trusted painters Sydney has to offer because they know the safety procedures by heart and their paint is not lead-based.

 

And definitely, the biggest unseen threat is the carbon monoxide due to the fact it’s almost impossible to detect by sight, smell, or sound. The only way to take precaution against this poisonous gas is to install a carbon monoxide detector.

 

Despite all the health hazards around the house, you shouldn’t confine your kids or parents, or take away their freedom of movement. If you take the precautions above, you’ll be ready to react quickly - just keep in mind that there could be more threats than meets the eye.

Guest post by Ronald Wolf

 

 

 

About the Author

Ron Wolf is studying to become a civil engineer by day and he is a blogger by night. His first contact with construction and home improvement was when he worked with his father during summer breaks at his construction company in Australia. As he was a kid, the first thing his father taught him was safety. The basics of materials, architecture, and design came next. So you could say that Ron was naturally prepared for this kind of work. And since his mother was a landscape artist, he got the whole package. Find Ron on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

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