The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
First Aid For The Ailing Houses
SAFETY IN THE HOUSE
The easiest way to forestall accidents at home is to make an inventory throughout the house, room by room, to see whether there are accident-causing hazards present. There are a number of such hazards that are general to every part of the house, and these should be checked and rechecked in each room:
Falls are among the most common serious home accidents. To eliminate unnecessary risks, be sure that rugs are not inviting someone to fall. Small rugs should be firmly fastened to the floor, or should be placed on nonslip pads. The rubber backing that many rugs are provided with by the manufacturer may wash away or become covered with floor wax and cease to offer skid-proof protection. Curled edges of carpets or large rugs should be fastened down. Holes in a rug should be repaired. Small rugs should never be placed on a slippery floor surface without skidproofing underneath them.
Toys are a real hazard. Try to make the children learn to pick up toys as a matter of habit. Even so, adults in a house where there are children should watch carefully for forgotten playthings (a roller skate on the stairway, for example)!
Furniture should be arranged so it does not present a traf-fic hazard. Normal routes through or into a room should be kept clear of heavy furniture. If the lady of the house has a penchant for an antique Queen Anne chair, for instance, be sure it is durable, or it should not be placed where guests may be exposed to an unexpected collapsing. Good antiques are good furniture. The only reason they are valued today is that they were good examples of design in their time; they were meant for service then, or people would not have considered them well designed. If a chair or table is rickety and unsteady today, if is a sign that lestoration is needed to put the piece back into its original condition.
Electricity is dangerous, and most people are properly awed by its danger. But, unfortunately, these same people do not usually consider appliances, light switches, electric cords, or radios as "electricity." Anything operated by electrical curent is potentially dangerous. One way to eliminate a great deal of that danger is to buy only electrical equipment and cords that carry the seal of the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL). This organization tests electrical equipment for compliance with the National Fire Code, and its label indicates that the equipment or cord has passed those requirements. The UL labels are in various forms. One of the most common is the orange tape wrapped around electrical cord.
