Is Your Home a Deathtrap? 13 Household Accidents Waiting to Happen

Lighting a few candles can set a romantic mood, but never leave a burning candle unattended. According to statistics, unattended candles account for 45 per cent of all house fires in Canada.

One of the most common household accidents is slipping on a wet tile floor in the bathroom, which could be avoided by ensuring a bath mat – with a non-slip, rubber backing – is on the floor, while extra safety can be provided by installing a grab bar on the shower wall.

According to the Government of Canada

, household cleaning products are one of the primary causes of injury and death among Canadian children under five years of age. That’s why it’s crucial to use cleaning products carefully when little ones are around, and keep cleaning supplies locked up so they can’t be accessed by curious children.

This seems like a no-brainer, yet accidentally placing a combustible item such as a cotton dish cloth or paper towel too close to a lit burner on the stove is one of the more common causes of household fires. Ensure anything flammable is kept well away from the stovetop while cooking.

It’s recommended when placing cutlery in the dishwasher that the food-handing ends of knives, forks and spoons be placed facing up to ensure they’ll receive a better cleaning. This can be hazardous for anyone who unloads a dishwasher, reaching in and inadvertently stabbing themselves with something sharp and pointy when not paying attention. This is especially hazardous if you have young children in the house, who may be tempted reach inside the dishwasher to grab something shiny and wind up with slashed fingers. It’s advisable to keep the dishwasher closed when not loading or unloading, and put those sharp ends facing downwards; they may not be as clean, but at least you’ll avoid a trip to the ER.

Leaving leftovers of perishables too long in the fridge can cause food poisoning if you eat anything that’s been tainted, and an extended visit to the bathroom may not be the worst of it. According to the FoodSafety.gov website, tainted food claims the lives of about 5,000 Americans each year, while more than 76 million people in the U.S. experience non-lethal food poisoning annually. The risks are especially great with youngsters, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

A gas space heater that leaks or malfunctions could be poisoning your entire family, and there have been countless stories of people who’ve died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to faulty space heaters powered by gas. Meanwhile, space heaters (gas or electric) are responsible for more than 70 per cent of all winter fire injuries and half of all property damage caused in heating fires. If you’re using one of these, it’s crucial to ensure you have a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector in the home, and make sure to change the batteries regularly.

The sharper the knife, the less likely you’ll be to injure yourself with one. Not only will a dull knife require more cutting than a sharp knife – the law of averages dictates the less you slice, the lower the probability you’ll slice yourself – but a dull knife can easily slip instead of slice, increasing the chance of injury.

Accidental falls are one of the most common household injuries, and one of the chief culprits are rugs without slip guards underneath to keep them in place. Without a slip guard, stepping on a rug could be just like stepping on a banana peel, with the rug sliding and bunching up while sending you flying.

A set of wooden steps and a sock-covered foot can be a dangerous combination, while the same holds true to carpeted steps as well. For those at risk of falling (i.e. children, the elderly), wearing socks or indoor footwear with gripping soles is a must, while installing adhesive non-slip strips on wooden stairs will also lessen the risk of injuries related to slipping and falling while using stairs.

Overloaded extension cords, with multiple electronic devices plugged in, are one of the leading causes of house fires in Canada. An extension cord with too many things plugged in will heat up, and if they’re not able to dissipate that heat (say, by being hidden under a rug) can start a fire.

Doors and windows may seem relatively benign, yet a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine reports that three out of four finger amputations in children under the age of four are caused by having those little fingers slammed or caught in doors and windows, with more than 30,000 people per year in the U.S. requiring amputations for the same reason.

Tables or other types of furniture with sharp, angular corners are responsible for countless bruises on thighs and hips, but if there are little ones in the house, these sharp corners are at the same level as those delicate little skulls. Try to find furniture with rounded corners; or, as another option, add temporary bumpers to sharp corners to increase safety.