Tips & Ideas for Better Home Safety

The Home Safety Network
This is a British site and so many of the specific programs are aimed at a British audience. There are a large number of articles on this site, however, which apply universally to home safety and the protection of your loved ones. There are articles on General Safety in the home, falls, burns and scalds, carbon monoxide poisoning, dangerous chemicals in the home and how to treat chemical accidents, choking and how to save a person who has something caught in their windpipe, clothing fire, how to put it out and how to treat it, do-it-yourself accidents in the home, drowning and what you can do to save someone's life, problems and dangers associated with electrical blankets, how do deal with accidents caused by fireworks, how to prevent and treat bicycle accidents and more. There are also links to additional home security and safety sites.

Your Home Fire Safety Checklist
This Home Fire Safety Checklist was developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent regulatory agency of the U.S. Government. A home fire is one of the most devastating and potentially most tragic occurrences that a homeowner can face. This site contains a checklist of things that you can do to help reduce the chance of a fire in your home or, if a fire should strike, to increase the chances for you and your family to survive. The checklist includes sources of fire, such as wood stoves, recommendations for using wood stoves and kerosene heaters in the safest manner possible, the proper way to use electric heaters, a checklist of cooking equipment, such as gas stoves and electric ranges (did you know that there are approximately 400 deaths and 5,000 injuries each year from the improper use of cooking equipment?), a checklist on cigarette lighters and matches, a checklist of flammable materials in the home, and much more. By reading through this checklist the average homeowner will undoubtedly find ways to improve the fire safety of his home and improve the chances that he and his family will survive if the unthinkable should happen.

An Index of Safety Articles
This site indexes more than 30 top-notch safety articles covering virtually every aspect of home safety. Many homeowners only think in terms of a potential break-in when they consider the health and safety of their family, but that can be a mistake. While home burglaries and home invasions are certainly something to protect your family from, there are many more dangers that confront your loved ones more frequently than a potential break-in. This site has links to more than 30 informative articles on everything from installing an alarm or security system, to asbestos abatement, to installing security bars, to buying the best security camera system, to childproofing a home, to earthquake preparedness, to fire protection, to the best home security systems, to testing for lead and radon, to installing the best burglar-proof locks, to a security checklist for when you are on vacation and a lot more. This site has found some of the best articles around to help you protect your home and your loved ones from virtually anything, from natural disasters to home invasions.

Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips
Carbon monoxide, also known as "CO", is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It is produced by the incomplete burning of solid, liquid and gaseous fuel. Therefore, any fuel-burning appliance in your home is a potential CO source. When appliances are kept in good working condition, they produce little CO. Improperly operating appliances can produce fatal CO concentrations in your home. In addition, using charcoal indoors or running a car in an attached garage can also cause deadly CO poisoning in your home. Informative site advises people never to burn charcoal inside their home or garage, never leave a car running in an attached garage, not to use gasoline powered tools, and to invest in a carbon monoxide detectors. A carbon monoxide question and answer section with press releases, articles and more tips are available.

EPA Safe Home Guide
Website provides tips for home safety, avoiding potential risks, and preventing pollution by recycling and conserving water and energy. Includes actions you can take to reduce lead in drinking water, using conservation to have cleaner water, drinking water information for health, information about private drinking water wells, tap water safety, asbestos, indoor air quality, flood cleanup, reducing radon risks, secondhand smoke, pesticide, bio-pesticides, ten tips to protect children from pesticide and lead poisonings, ultraviolet radiation, household cleanser safety, recycling, buying an energy efficient home, heating and cooling systems, natural landscaping, hidden hazards of backyard burning, and composting.