How to Prevent Falls From Chairs or Stools

Losing your balance and falling from a chair or stool can happen at any age. Preventing falls from chairs or stools takes some common sense and ensuring the furniture is properly maintained.

Instructions

• 1

  Maintain your chair or stool. If a chair or stool is wobbly or creaks loudly, make sure to tighten the fastenings using an appropriate tool. If it's made out of wood and held together with glue, you can reinforce the chair or stool with small nails. Use a wax putty pencil matched to the shade of wood to cover the nail. If the chair or stool is made of plastic or metal, keep any hinges or joints well-oiled and make sure that the screws are tight, but be careful not to tighten the screws so much that you strip the screw or make them difficult to adjust.

• 2

  Avoid standing on chairs. Chairs are meant for sitting -- the center of gravity while sitting on a chair is easily managed. Keep all four chair legs firmly on the ground while sitting. Standing on a chair changes the dynamics, allowing it to tip easily.

• 3

  Get a step stool. If you're using a chair or stool to access objects beyond your reach, step stools are specifically built for the task and to support your weight evenly. Pay attention to your feet while ascending the steps of the stool.

• 4

  Invest in a metal step stool. Wooden step stools may break suddenly and without warning. A metal step stool with rubber handrails may not be aesthetically pleasing, but it can withstand more weight and allows you to brace yourself.