It should come as no surprise that the most common place to suffer an accident is the home. What may surprise you, however, is that accidents at home are responsible for around 6,000 fatalities a year – a shocking statistic, and one which brings home just how severe even the most innocuous of incidents can be. The following represent the more common causes of injury in the home, including tips on how to prevent them.
Trips and Falls
Trips and falls are the most common cause of accidental injury at home. Keeping your home tidy is the primary way to mitigate the risk of a trip or fall at home, as stray or unanticipated objects can cause obstruction. It is also important to pay attention while moving around the house – misjudging a step, or missing a stair step, can lead to serious injury.
Food Poisoning
Of course, physical accidents are not the only way in which you or your family can suffer injury at home. Food poisoning is a growing concern in the UK, with the Food Standards Authority reporting that instances of foodborne illness have more than doubled in the last ten years. Food poisoning is thankfully easy to avoid, with the adoption of safer food preparation in the kitchen. Try not to use the same chopping boards for raw meat and veg, to prevent cross-contamination. Washing vegetables can prevent food contamination, while a cooking thermometer can ensure meats are cooked well enough to kill any potential bacteria.
Burns
There are a number of household appliances that bring with them a burn risk, perhaps most common of which are your hob and oven. Keeping clear of open flames when using a gas hob, or taking care not to leave items close to ceramic hobs, can mitigate the risk of harming yourself on the stovetop; likewise, endeavouring to wear oven mitts whenever using the oven – even if it is off – can prevent accidental burns.
Of course, in some cases burns are impossible to avoid. You might suffer a burn that wasn’t your fault – for example, as a result of a faulty appliance – at which point your options expand to legal ones. You may be able to enter a no win no fee claim, with the possibility of receiving compensation for your injury.
Cuts
Lastly, cuts are easily suffered around the home, whether cooking or performing some light DIY. In many cases, cuts while cooking can be avoided by chopping ingredients carefully and deliberately, but a good preventative measure can be found in keeping your knives sharp as can be. Blunt knives are more dangerous, due to the increased possibility of slipping.
