How to Prevent Yourself from Some of the Most Common Household Injuries?

We spend years finding and perfecting our dream house only to know that the one place we expect 100% safety isn’t that safe as well. Yes, household accidents are prevalent and expected. You never know when something unexpected happens around the house that can injure you or your loved ones. While maintenance and regular check and sufficient care help you reduce the risks but does not entirely eradicate the chance of this happening. We will discuss some of the most common reasons why people get injured around the house and what can be done to prevent it from happening in the future.

Let’s begin:

Falling Objects

People, especially toddlers or disabled people, have more chances of experiencing an injury with falling objects. When kids start to explore around the house, they are going to get to dangerous places without even knowing the consequences. Bookshelves, LCDs, and drawers are some of the top contenders of this category. This may look funny in the movies, or so but honestly, you won’t be able to handle the physical, emotional, and financial damage caused by falling object accidents.

Prevention

In order to prevent a falling object’s accident, it is essential to recognize the source. Here are some things to take care of if you really don’t want a falling object accident at your home:

• Electric accidents
• Tablecloth edges
• Towels
• Hanging racks and bookshelves

Make sure that everything is intact, taped, screwed properly at its desired location. For tablecloths, you can actually consider a sticky cling or nothing at all.

Trips and Falls

Everyone is susceptible to falls and trips around the house. It can literally happen to a young toddler, someone really old, or anyone in between. Usually, tripping or falling isn’t that dangerous, and you immediately get up without any loss. However, specific scenarios like falling in a wet bathroom or taking a tumble from the stairs can actually cause serious injuries. Most people, especially seniors, even go through whiplash injury treatment after a single fall. So, unless handled with care, falling and tripping injuries could really be an unwanted medical emergency.

Prevention

To prevent falling accidents, one must consider:

• Safe railings on the stairs.
• Take care of loose stair carpets
• Adhesive friction creators in bathroom tub
• Use of high-friction slippers on wet surfaces.
• Mats outside bathrooms
• Mopping with a fan on so it dries quickly.
• Avoid running on the stairs.

Cuts and Bruises

Whether you trip on the staircase or cut yourself in the kitchen, there is always a risk of getting cuts and bruises. Sometimes you don’t even know that your body has acquired a bruise until you see yourself in the mirror and – lo come to the screams! Cuts and bruises can get infected and even hamper your immune system, which is a complete no-no considering the current situation. If you are unable to move after a bruise or there is severe blood loss after getting a cut, you may need to visit the emergency room.

Prevention

Prevention from cuts and bruises requires extreme precaution. You can do that by:

• Avoiding running around the house.
• Keeping sharp objects like scissors, knives, and cutters away from the reach of children.
• Only using sharp objects in bright light.
• Using appropriate medication in case of injury or visiting the ER.

Muscular Sprains

Imagine a scenario where you are simply walking, and all of a sudden, your foot twists for no reason. Or your arm is overstretched because of a home-based exercise session. Chances are that you probably have a muscular sprain. A sprain occurs when a ligament that links different portions of a joint is stretched, twisted, or ripped. The most commonly afflicted body parts are the knees, ankles, and wrists. If this happens, use an ice pack from your first-aid kit, rest the afflicted region, and allow it to recover.  It’s essential to follow your healthcare provider’s advice and check out guidelines about ankle sprain recovery time.

Prevention

To prevent sprains from happening in the first place:

• Do not run around the house barefoot.
• Make sure to wear appropriate slippers.
• Always warm-up and cool down before and after an exercise session.
• Follow the advice of your medical professional.

If your doctor has recommended bed rest, then make sure to follow their advice and take complete rest as per the instruction.

Burns

Most of the burn cases in a house happen within the kitchen premises. Others are dependent on where you put certain things. With in-built heating systems, gas heaters have been removed from houses avoiding the possibility of heater burns. However, it is still our responsibility to keep children away from hazardous items like ovens, cookers, styling gadgets, boiling water, etc. Apart from kids, seniors are also susceptible to burns from the kitchen.

Prevention

To prevent a hazardous burn accident happening in your home, you need to:

• Teach your kids the dangers of getting near hazardous objects.
• Install senior-safe gadgets like ovens with proper alarm systems.
• Tape your wires to the back of sofas or behind the shelves, so they are away from the little ones.
• Immediately visit the ER in case of serious burns.

Poisoning and Choking

We obviously have a lot of poisonous consumables around the house. From makeup to floor cleaners, everything has a seriously adverse impact on your health when consumed. Other than this, some medicines can have an allergic reaction too. It is extremely important to keep all these dangerous items away from the reach of young ones. Choking is also a typical hazard for children due to their obsession with putting objects in their mouths and swallowing them. If you are unable to dislodge the item quickly, dial 999.

Prevention

If you don’t want this kind of incident happening in your house, we highly suggest that you:

• Keep makeup stored in your locked vanity box.
• Put OTC and other medicines in a safe pill caddy.
• Cleaning items and chemicals should be in the highest cabinets.
• See immediate medical attention in case someone consumes any toxic item.

Glass Injuries

With most of our household items and interior made of glass, such injuries have also become quite common. Broken glass can actually result in serious lacerations. Even in serious injuries from car accidents, glass cuts are involved. The point of mentioning this is that injuries from broken glass can be extremely harmful, especially if it enters the body.

Prevention

If you don’t want to experience any such injury, we recommend that you:

• Carefully examine the glass fittings and fixtures around the house. In case of even the most moderate damage, take immediate action.
• Treat all-glass injuries with alcoholic swabs and regular dressings.
• All the furnishing should comply with the American safety standards.
• If glass enters your body, make sure to visit an ER for proper treatment before your bloodstream and muscles get infected.

Conclusion

We all think that our home is a safe zone but, for most people, getting injured within your own premises is quite common. There are certain injuries that people can suffer from simply by being careless in their own homes. Children and seniors are most prone to getting injured, but people of any age can get injured. You need to take preventative measures to reduce the risk of such injuries. In case anything happens, make sure to seek immediate medical attention.