HEALTH

better

H om e m ay indeed be w here the heart is, but m ore often than not, it’s also

w here the hurt is. A s in kitchen fires that get out o f control, falls dow n stairs,

and m ixed-up m edications.

“H om e isn’t alw ays the safe haven people think it is,” says M eri-K Appy,

president o f the H om e Safety C ouncil in W ashington, D.C. E very year about

21 m illion m edical visits and 20,000 deaths result from hom e injuries. A nd m ost

o f them are preventable.

W hile accidents w ill alw ays happen, there are som e sim ple safety habits you

can adopt to protect your fam ily at home. “Som etim es sm all behavior changes

can m ake a b ig difference,” A ppy says.

T his room -by-room guide offers tips to prevent the leading causes o f acciden-

tal injury and death in the hom e. For m ore household safety guidelines, visit the

council’s W eb site,

h o m e sa fe tyco un cil.org .

safe at hom e

A surprisingly large number of accidents

happen at home. Here’s how to stop them

by JEANNE AMBROSE photo KATHRYN GAMBLE

produced by MEREDiTH LADiK AND JEAN SCHiSSEL NORMAN

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

JUNE 2010

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