Preventing Household Accidents
Household accidents happen frequently and many times they can be prevented. As a building inspector and someone who cares about you and your family, please make sure that you understand and know your surroundings in which you live. Know how you’re heating and cooling system works, if your smoke alarms work, where to go in case of an emergency. Here are a few precautions against some of the most common accidents.
- Prevent tap water scalds by adjusting the temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees max.
- Change the battery in your smoke alarm when you change your clocks back in October or November.
- Change your furnace filter out regularly
- Have your furnace professionally cleaned and maintained once a year
- Have a professional check your gas appliances for carbon monoxide leaks and your chimney for blockages.
- Install carbon monoxide alarms on each floor of your house
- Spend time talking with your family about what to do in case of a fire, how to get out.
- Check your electrical system against defects and install ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) to prevent electrocution and fire.
- Inspect your dryer duct annually for lint blockages and make sure to clean the lint from your dryer after each use.
I hate hearing about accidents that could have been prevented. Now days there are many houses still in use that have old and unsafe electrical and heating systems in them. Sometimes changing out an entire electrical system is not in the budget and I get that. But please make sure that you know your surroundings in which you live and that the proper safety devises are installed and working
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