Preventing home accidents
Stating that 6 million home accidents occurred in Turkey each year and that about 4 thousand of them resulted in death, Serkan Bolat, Lecturer at Occupational Health and Safety Program, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), shared recommendations on "safe life". Bolat pointed out that bathrooms, kitchens and gardens are the most accidental places and listed his recommendations in 14 items. Bolat said, “When compared, the number of home accidents is higher than the traffic accidents. Falling, drowning, poisoning, electric shock and burns are the main causes of injury at home.”
Serkan Bolat, Lecturer at IUE Vocational School, Occupational Health and Safety Program, emphasized that the time spent at home due to coronavirus has increased, and stated that it is possible to prevent home accidents with simple measures.
62 PERCENT INCREASE
Bolat stated the following: “Home accidents are defined as unexpected events that occur in the house, in or around the house, causing harm or injury. According to a study conducted in the USA in 2018, it has been determined that there has been a 62 percent increase in death rates in or around the house in the last 10 years. Half of these deaths occurred due to poisoning. Fall-related deaths account for 29 percent of the total figure. The most important cause of death for adults aged 15-64 is poisoning. Fall-related deaths are most common among adults aged 65 and over. In our country, approximately 6 million people experience house accidents every year. 3-4 thousand people die in these accidents. This number shows increase in some years. Among the most common home accidents are falls, drowning, poisoning, electric shocks, burns and injuries due to cuts. The most dangerous places at home are kitchens, bathrooms and gardens.”
RECOMMENDATIONS TO PREVENT HOME ACCIDENTS
- Precautions should be taken for slippery floors. Non-slip carpets and rugs should be preferred.
- Wet floors are very dangerous in bathrooms and kitchens. Especially in bathrooms, non-slip, towel texture bathmats should be used.
- Bathroom doors should not be locked in case of potential accidents.
- Cleaning materials should be kept out of the reach of children.
- Objects such as buttons and metal coins that children can swallow should not be left around.
- Hot drinks, and appliances such as teapots, kettles, and flammable and dangerous substances such as matches, lighter, gasoline should be kept out of the reach of children.
- Small items such as coffee tables and accessories on the walking path should be removed.
- Power tools should not be operated on wet ground.
- When not in use, power tools must be unplugged. Open electrical cable should not be left, and socket covers should be used.
- All medicines kept at home should be in the medicine cabinet and out of the reach of children.
- Stairs and hallways should be well lit.
- The windows should be in a way to prevent children from falling.
- Natural gas vents should not be closed in order to prevent possible loss of life in case of leakage.
- The pools in the garden should be covered.
