Many common accidents are not serious – they are caused by familiar hazards that people tend to overlook.

Below is a room-by-room breakdown of everyday items that commonly cause injuries.

All rooms:

Doors can crush fingers and cause severe injury. One year olds are most often hurt and may suffer amputation. Kids under 5 tend to trap fingers in the hinged side of the door; older kids hurt fingers and heads in the opening side. Keep doors open with door stops and fit plastic guards to the hinge side.

Living areas:

Check you have safety glass in patio doors and low windows. If a door has been broken in the past, it may have been repaired with normal glass. Put stickers or strips of tape across the glass at both child and adult height, to make it easier to see. Make sure the floor around the door is slip-resistant.

Glass-topped tables don’t suit a home with young children. If there’s no alternative, make sure the table is made from safety glass. Move glass coffee tables from the middle of the room to the side, so young kids are less likely to fall onto them.

Check toys for sharp edges and points. Young children like to put everything in their mouths; 75% of toy injuries involve kids under 5, especially 1 year olds. When buying toys, follow the age recommendation. Toys bought for older kids should be kept away from younger ones.

On floors, put anti-slip mats under rugs to prevent falls, or remove rugs all together. Wipe up spilt water or food straight away.

Stairs & Steps

Fix non-slip, luminous strips to stairs and steps to prevent falls and make steps easier to see. Keep steps dry and free of mould.

Kitchen:

Knives cause many serious accidents, particularly when used to prepare meat. Cheap knives are dangerous; it’s worth paying for a good, well-designed knife and it will last many years. Keep the blade sharp and the handle dry and non-greasy. Store sharp kitchen knives and scissors out of reach of children. Kids should only use blunt-tipped child scissors.

Be aware that breaking glassware while washing up injures hundreds of people each year. Ideally wear cut-resistant protective gloves.

Garage:

Power tools cause major injuries, especially power saws in the hands of DIY builders. Hire rather than buy your power tools, then you’re sure of using only the latest, safest models.Before use, always read operating instructions and know where the emergency stop switch is located.

Don’t let children operate electric garage doors,  as these can cause crushing injuries.

Garden:

• Power lawnmowers seriously injure people every year, amputating fingers and toes. Wear heavy shoes, ideally steel-capped boots, when mowing the lawn - not thongs.  Stop the mower before taking the grass-catcher off and be careful when removing blocked grass. The blades don’t stop immediately when the power is switched off.
• Watch children closely around dogs. Every dog can bite, even an old family pet. Dog bites hospitalise kids every year, many are under 5. Most are bitten by the family dog or a friend’s pet, while playing. Serious injuries also happen when a young child simply trips over a dog and falls down steps or onto glass. If you can’t be there to supervise, it’s safest to keep young kids and dogs well apart. Always teach children how to behave around dogs, to avoid dogs that are feeding or sleeping, and not to make eye contact with them.
• Don’t let mould grow on paths and maybe paint them with a sand-textured paint to avoid slips and falls. Also watch out for mould on decking.
• When using a ladder, check the load limit, and don’t use the top 3 rungs. Make sure the base can’t slip and lean it against a solid structure. The angle to the ground should be no more than 75°. If you have to lean it against a tree, secure the ladder at the top with rope. If against guttering, use one of the stabilising devices available from hardware stores. Move the ladder as often as you need, so you don’t need to stretch to reach.
  

Further information

The acc website has information that may be useful regarding safety in the home.  

You can enrol in first aid courses through St Johns, so you’ll know what to do should an accident occur.