Home safety is a critical point when you want to prevent home accidents. Most of the accidents occur due to negligence and lack of maintenance of home appliances. Hence, as a homeowner, you should learn basic safety measures to protect yourself and your house.
The following article lists some essential safety measures every homeowner should undertake to protect their home.
Also read: Home Management Tips for the Stay-at-Home Business Owner
What Are the Different Safety Measures for the House?
We have divided the safety measures according to each room of the house into 6 sections, and they are:
- Kitchen Safety Measures
Most home accidents start from the kitchen appliances, so they are the main villains. The main thing to do here is to check the appliance thoroughly once it has been delivered. Apart from this, the vents and coils should be cleaned regularly as the dust bunnies are the most common cause of fire hazards.
Heavy appliances like refrigerators consume a lot of energy, and hence, the circuits sometimes get overloaded. As a result of this, the circuits can get overheated and catch fire. Therefore, keep a fire extinguisher at home to control the situation if something unforeseen happens.
- Basement Safety Measures
The basement is generally the place for your main breaker panel, and therefore, you should have a grip over the breaker controls to make things easier in case of a power out.
The HVAC system should be cleaned and inspected regularly to ensure the safety of the AC and the furnace. The tanks of your water heaters should be cleaned and flushed once every year to prolong the heater’s life.
The exposed pipes might freeze and burst in winter. Therefore, they should be appropriately insulated for frigid temperatures using fibreglass or foil insulation. Along with this, the handrails should be fitted appropriately to minimise the occurrence of accidents. Lastly, it would be an additional safety measure if non-skid tape is added to the stairs.
- Bathroom Safety Measures
The bathroom pipes are prone to corrosion and rust, which may result in leakage. Therefore, the pipes should be checked regularly and repaired if damaged. Go through the toilets and faucets for leaks. The showerheads get clogged with dust and dirt if not used properly. They should be cleaned, and the water pressure should also be checked.
Slipping in the bathroom accounts for a significant portion of home accidents, and hence, grab bars, non-slip bath mats, and non-slip decals should be added to the bathroom to make it safer for senior citizens. Your bathroom should also be equipped with first-aid kits and kept in an accessible place.
- Bedroom Safety Measures
Emergencies don’t come with a warning; hence, an escape plan should be ready in case of fires or other dangers. The emergency plan should be known to everyone in the house. Replace outlet covers as per the requirements to protect you and the little ones in your home. Keep all your essential documents and valuables a fireproof safe, such as birth certificates, academic achievements, and jewellery.
Check your walls for holes, tears, or peeling paint. If present, get it repaired as soon as possible and repaint the portions with peeling paint. An excellent and warm chimney works like magic on a chilly night. However, this can quickly become a disaster if not cleaned properly. Hence, they should be cleaned and inspected regularly.
- Hallway Safety Measures
The hallways should encompass smoke alarms and CO detectors on each floor covering the bedrooms. Add non-skid mats or adhesive tapes under the rugs to prevent people from tripping them and to keep them in place. Apart from this, keep the hallways neat and clean to minimise the risk of tripping over them.
Hallways should also be provided with nightlights to minimise the chances of stumbling down in the dark. The best solution is using light motion sensors that ensure safety and avoid wastage of electrical energy. Hallways are easily accessible to everyone in the house, making them the perfect place for fire extinguishers.
Also read: The Essential Things to Remember for the Effective Maintenance of Your Air Conditioning System
What Are the Different Policies that Ensure Home Safety?
Primarily, we have four policies under this safety measure, which are discussed in the following section:
- Bharat Griha Raksha Policy
This policy provides insurance coverage for your belongings, home, and various articles in your home. As per this policy, the insurer has to pay you for your losses if you suffer from unexpected events that cause physical damage to your belongings, home contents, or home. We get to see three types of insurance coverage under the Bharat Griha Raksha policy:
- Home Contents Cover: This is for the articles present in your home. The general contents of the house are automatically covered under the policy for 20% of the total sum of money. Unless mentioned otherwise, they are subject to a maximum value of ₹10 Lakhs.
- Home Building Cover: This insurance coverage is for the structural building of your house.
- Optional Cover: The optional cover is divided into two parts: the first covers valuable contents on an agreed value basis, and the second is responsible for personal accident coverage.
- Burglary & House Breaking Insurance Policy
This home insurance plan protects your house from burglary, housebreaking, or theft followed by a violent and forcible entry to your premises. You will get coverage for the damaged property, but the scheme does not cover property content such as the homeowner’s gold or silver jewellery, books, sculptures, medals, or other assets.
- All Risks Insurance
This comprehensive house insurance policy covers all risks, be it natural calamities or theft and other potential damage, unless any risk is excluded from your contract. For instance, if your contract doesn’t exclude fire accident coverage, you will get compensation if a fire breaks out and your premise gets damaged.
- Property Insurance for Home Loan
This policy is a long-term property insurance where the insurer provides coverage for the house and the house contents. It ensures that the homeowner is financially covered for the slightest damage to the house for various reasons such as flood, fire, storms, etc. A home loan insurance policy is beneficial in case of any unforeseen situation and does not become a burden for the lender.
Even though applying for a home insurance policy is not compulsory, having one benefits a homeowner. You can protect your dream house and its valuable contents by paying a small sum.
As buying a house is one of the most significant investments of our lives, it is essential to look after and protect it. The safety measures and policies discussed above will help you achieve the same. The policies work as an additional safety layer of protection for your house apart from the regular safety measures.
