How to Identify Safety Hazards

Safety hazards, whether in the home or in public, can be identified and corrected to prevent accidents. Many everyday items could pose a potential risk, especially for children, when installed carelessly or incorrectly placed. Safety hazards may involve many things, including furnishings, food or places you visit on a regular basis.

Instructions

• 1

  Cleaning chemicals can be hazardous.

  Walk through the home looking for standing water or open containers with liquids inside. Standing water is a safety hazard for people and pets. Wet floors can lead to slipping, and pets may ingest unclean water. If the standing liquid is not water but a poisonous chemical like bleach, it can be dangerous or fatal if ingested. Children are most susceptible to the hazards of standing water and open containers, because they may not recognize the danger and may be too young to read.

• 2

  Smoke alarms can save lives and help keep fires from spreading.

  Examine your home or office's smoke alarm for proper connections and charged batteries. Smoke detectors will have a test button that you can push to test the alarm. If no alarm sounds when you press the test button, replace the batteries. If there is still no alarm with new, fully charged batteries, then replace the smoke detector.

• 3

  Medicine bottles should be kept away from children.

  Examine your tables, counter tops and cabinets for medicines that are within reach of small children. Place all medicines in a cabinet that is too high for children to reach, or has a lock to prevent entry. Even common cold medicines that are created for children can cause serious injury or death to a child if ingested in high doses.

• 4

  An open second-story window can be dangerous.

  Examine your windows and window treatments for potential hazards. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Since 1980, CPSC has received reports of more than 200 children who have strangled in window-blind cords." Some cords have loops at the ends that could strangle a child. Immediately cut the loop off to prevent such an occurrence. Also, check the sturdiness of your windows to prevent the possibility of someone's falling through, which can occur when pressure against a window not properly secured causes the pane to press through the frame. When a window is not secure, hammer nails around the frame and check the caulking material for erosion. If you are unsure how to make the window tight, call a professional.

• 5

  Electrical outlets present hazards, especially to small children.

  Check electrical outlets to see whether there is excessive use of extension cords or uncovered outlets near children. Too much electrical current in one plug is a fire hazard, because the current can overwhelm the socket. Use outlet covers whenever an outlet is within the reach of a small child.

• 6

  Be careful when grilling, and don't do so in an enclosed room.

  Inspect your gas grill to ensure that all hoses are secure, and always turn the tank completely off when it is not in use. Never cook with a charcoal grill in an enclosed room, because of the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning.

• 7

  Have an electrician inspect your fuse box.

  Hire an electrician to inspect your electrical fuse or circuit breaker box. Many homes and offices could benefit from a device called an arc fault circuit interrupter, or AFCI. This would shut down the circuit to prevent an electrical fire should there be an overload. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Electrical fires cause an estimated average of 910 deaths, nearly 7,000 injuries and nearly $1.7 billion in property damage each year."