Tips for making a home safe for the holidays

Posted in Accident & Injury on November 13, 2018

In the coming weeks, people across Ohio will be heading home for the holidays or opening their doors to welcome people in their own home. And whether you have people staying with you for a week or you are visiting someone for an evening, making sure a home is safe should be a top priority for every homeowner this time of year.

Below are some tips for how to make a home safer for visitors and what to watch out for to avoid potential accidents on someone else’s property.

Focus on good lighting

Being able to see well is crucial to avoiding accidents. As such, homeowners should replace broken lightbulbs at entryways. They should also ensure lights in stairwells are working properly.

And if you have holiday lights strung up, make sure the cord is secured and out of the way to prevent people from tripping.

Clear the walkways

Slipping, tripping and falling are some of the most common causes of injuries on another person’s property. These incidents are also fairly simple to prevent if you pay attention to clearing walkways and making sure they are not slippery.

Put down rugs near entryways that could get wet; replace or secure broken flooring and carpet; remove obstacles from stairwells; clean up spills as soon as possible. These are all easy ways to prevent slip-and-fall accidents.

Secure unsafe areas

If there are unsafe areas in or around a home, block them off or otherwise make them inaccessible to visitors.

For instance, if your home has a pool, make sure you have proper fencing and covers in place, as required by state law. If there are areas under construction, block them off and have clear signage in place saying people should not enter the work area.

These simple tips can help homeowners make their homes safe and welcoming for guests during the holidays. And if you are a visitor in someone else’s home who fails to take these precautions and you suffer an accident, you may want to consult an attorney regarding the legal remedies that may be available.