How to keep your home safer

While it may not feel like it, your home can actually be a very hazardous place. We become so accustomed to our homes that we may overlook potentially dangerous habits and situations. Unfortunately, a large number of accidents occur in the home. There are a few simple things you can do that may help prevent many common household accidents and home insurance claims:

• Make sure stairs are clearly lit. Stairs are one of the most dangerous spots in your home.
• Eliminate hazards to prevent falls. Install grab bars in your tubs and showers and use non-slip mats. Have bright lights over stairs and steps and on landings. Keep them well lit and clear of boxes, furniture and other tripping hazards.
• Keep cleaning products, medications and beauty supplies where children can’t reach them. Use child safety locks. Call (800) 222-1222 for information about poisons. If anyone ingests or inhales poison call 911 immediately. (Click here for additional information on poisoning.)
• Regularly check all smoke and fire alarms, and conduct fire evacuation drills with your family. When building a new home or renovating an existing one, install fire sprinklers. Always stay at a stove or heat source when cooking.
• Remove potential choking and suffocation hazards. An item that can fit through a toilet paper tube can choke a young child. Keep coins, latex balloons and hard round foods, such as peanuts and hard candy where children cannot see or touch them. Place babies to sleep on their backs without pillows, blankets, comforters or toys in cribs. When your children are in or near water, watch them very carefully and stay close enough to reach out and touch them. This includes bathtubs, toilets, pools, spas and even buckets of water.

The best way to handle an emergency is to be prepared. Make sure you have an emergency phone list posted by each phone in your house. Ask your agent for a sample list to follow.

Stair safety

Here are some tips that may help keep family and visitors safer on your stairs:

• Install a light switch at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Make sure handrails run the full length of the staircase.
• Fix loose stair carpeting immediately.
• Do not use throw rugs at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs.
• If you intend to paint concrete stairs, add some sand to the paint for a better grip or install rubber or abrasive treads.
• Make sure the outside of your house is well lit, or paint the edges of outside steps white so they are better visible in the dark.

For more insurance advice, contact Farmers Insurance - The Wertzberger Agency at 913-383-3276 or by emailing us HERE.

Life insurance issued by Farmers New World Life Insurance Company, 3003 77th Ave. SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040.