Lurking Dangers in The Home: A Resource Guide for All Homeowners

When people think of accidents, they usually imagine car crashes and injuries outside the home, such as in dangerous workplaces like factories and construction sites. After all, the home is perceived as a place of safety and protection. Yet, every year, emergency units deal with many severe injuries and even fatalities in American households.

Car accidents account for 25% of all fatal accidents in America, but unintentional home and community injuries account for about 75% of all accident deaths annually. Children and older adults are especially vulnerable to hazards lurking in the home, but these dangers can hurt anyone. Home accidents claim approximately 18,000 lives yearly in the U.S. and 21 million medical visits.

This resource guide will tell you precisely what to know about these preventable home hazards and how to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Lurking Home Danger Statistic

Poisoning hazards lurk in many American homes. More than 2.1 million people sought guidance in 2020 from U.S. poison control because of human poison exposure.

Source: National Poison Control Call Statistics

Each year, 3 million older Americans are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.

Source: CDC

The rate of preventable injury-related deaths occurring in or around the home in the U.S. has increased 320% since 1999.

Source: National Safety Council

Home Danger Resources

Many of these resources come from high-authority government agencies and nonprofits that provide tips for preventing the most common household dangers.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Home Safety

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers a helpful checklist here with excellent tips on avoiding common home hazards such as poisonings, fires and burns, drownings, and falls.

Green and Healthy Home Initiative – Home Health Hazards

The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative is a nonprofit that addresses the social determinants of health, opportunity, and equity by creating healthy, safe, and energy-efficient homes. This resource page addresses household dangers like volatile organic compounds, pests, and mold.

The Dangers of Lead-Based Paint

The National Center for Healthy Housing compiled this great article resource about addressing lead paint hazards in the home, including a history of lead paint in homes and additional links to lead paint hazard resource pages.

Prevent Child Strangulation

This U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission infographic addresses a significant cause of at-home child accidents: strangulation from window-covering cords.

Mold Hazards

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has you covered if you want to learn more about mold and moisture hazards in the home.

Preventing Poisonings at Home

Ready.gov’s guide to preventing home poisonings covers everything from drug overdoses to household chemicals to prescription medications.

Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room

This National Institute on Aging guide on preventing falls recommends changes to make each room in your house safer to prevent deadly falls.

The Top 10 Most Common Causes of Home Fatalities and Injuries

Poisonings

Poisonings happen in the home more than 90% of the time, according to a report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System. Most of these poisonings happen in the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, and young children are especially at risk.

Poisonings of young children often happen when a doorbell, telephone, or something else distracts parents while they’re handling a potentially dangerous product. Common poisoning dangers at home include, but are not limited to:

Batteries
Cosmetics and personal care products
E-cigarettes and liquid nicotine
Household cleaning chemicals
Laundry detergent
Medicine
Pesticides
Silica packets
Topical products
Vitamins

Additional resources to prevent at-home poisonings:

Falls

More than 25% of older adults fall each year, and many of these falls happen at home or close to the home, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Minor changes to home and basic safety awareness can prevent many of these accidents.

At-home falls can lead to broken bones, more trouble moving around, and other problems, especially if you’re 65 or older. For example, broken hips can lead to serious health problems – and sometimes even death.

Some safety tips to prevent falls at home include (courtesy of the National Library of Medicine):

Have a low bed so your feet touch the floor when you sit on the edge of the bed.
Remove loose wires or cords from areas you walk through to get from one room to another.
Use good lighting, especially for the path from the bedroom to the bathroom and in the bathroom.
Put handrails in the bathtub or shower and next to the toilet.
Set up your home so that you do not have to climb steps. For example, put your bedroom on the first floor.
Avoid sudden movements or changes in position when you walk. Wear shoes with low heels that fit well.

Additional resources to prevent at-home falls:

Choking

Choking is the fourth-leading cause of unintentional death in children under the age of 5, and children under five years old are at the most significant risk for choking injury and fatalities, according to the New York State Department of Health.

Food accounts for more than 50% of choking episodes, but plenty of other causes exist, especially for young kids. Be alert for small objects that can cause choking, like coins, buttons, and small toys.

Toys are designed to be enjoyed by kids within a specific age range, and age guidelines account for the safety of a toy based on possible choking hazards. Don’t let your kids play with toys designed for older children.

Some safety tips for preventing choking at home include (courtesy of the NY Department of Health and the CDC):

Never leave a small child unattended while eating. Direct supervision is necessary.
Cut foods into small pieces, removing seeds and pits.
Avoid small, sticky, or hard foods that are hard to chew and swallow.
Avoid letting your child eat in the car or stroller.

Additional at-home choking prevention resources:

Drowning

The CDC reports that more children ages one to four die from drowning than any other cause. Drowning happens in seconds and is often silent, especially involving young children. Though kids are most at risk, drowning can happen to anyone, anytime there’s access to water – including in the home.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 90 children drown inside their homes annually, and two-thirds of these fatalities happen in the bathtub. A child can drown in as little as two inches of water.

Some safety tips for at-home drowning prevention:

Always supervise young children in the bathroom or when they’re in the pool.
Always close or cover washing machines, in-home spas, and hot tubs when unused.
Always empty water from sinks, pails, coolers, and containers.
Know CPR in case of a drowning emergency.
Install barriers around your pool, such as a fence with a self-closing latch or gate, to prevent children from entering without you seeing them.

Additional resources to prevent at-home drownings:

Fire

More than 2,200 Americans die every year due to unintentional home fires. About two-thirds of these fires happen in homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that aren’t working. A smoke alarm’s warning can reduce the risk of dying in a fire at home by almost half.

A fire at home can become life-threatening in just two minutes, and a residence can be engulfed in flames in five minutes. Practicing basic safety precautions can prevent fires, but you should also know what to do if a fire erupts.

Some safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission include:

Install a working smoke alarm on every level of your home, outside sleeping areas, and inside bedrooms.
Replace smoke alarm batteries once every year.
Always stay in the kitchen when cooking. Stand by your pan!
Know how to escape if there is a fire in your home. Have a plan and practice it with your family.
Replace smoke alarms that are more than ten years old. They don’t last forever.

Additional resources for preventing home fires:

Cuts

The kitchen can be the center of activity in many homes, but it has many hidden dangers, especially for young children. Kids are at risk of choking hazards with food but can also be at risk of cuts during food preparation.

Sharp objects like knives used in the kitchen can seriously harm young children, and they should be considered in basic home safety precautions. Other areas of the home can also present cutting hazards to young kids, such as razors in the bathroom and garden tools in the garage.

Some tips for cut prevention in the home courtesy of John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital:

Keep knives, forks, scissors, and other sharp utensils in a drawer with a safety latch.
Keep glass objects, such as drinking glasses and bowls, in a high cabinet far from reach.
Make sure that mirrors are securely attached to the wall.
If you use a razor to shave, keep it in a locked cabinet in the bathroom. Store extra blades in a safe place.
Keep all tools (for gardening, automotive care, yard work, etc.) out of reach or in locked storage.

Additional resources for preventing cuts at home:

Suffocation

Young children are naturally curious and constantly exploring the environment around them. Touching, feeling, and mouthing small items within reach is how babies and young kids learn about the things around them. Unfortunately, this also puts infants and toddlers at high risk for suffocation in the home.

Babies and toddlers have small airways that are easily blocked, their reflexes aren’t well developed, and their bodies aren’t very strong. This means they may have difficulties getting out of trouble if faced with a suffocation hazard like plastic bags and window blind cords.

Some tips for preventing at-home suffocations courtesy of The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne include:

Where possible, use curtains with rods instead of cords.
If you have cords, attach them to the wall with a plastic safety device. These are available at hardware stores or blind and curtain retailers.
Any cord should not be longer than 30cm long and must be out of reach of curious toddlers.
Always tie a knot in dry cleaning and plastic bags before throwing them out.
Plastic bags should be stored out of reach.

Additional tips to prevent at-home suffocations:

Strangulation

Nearly 1,000 children under age 15 died of unintentional choking and strangulation in 2009, according to SafeKidsUSA. About 94% of those deaths were to children under five, and one-third of all toy-related fatalities reported to the CPSC were caused by choking or strangulation.

Strangulation can seem unlikely, but there are many cases of young children unintentionally strangling themselves on blind cords, often when they’re climbing. It could be fatal if children get tangled in any kind of cord.

Some safety tips for preventing at-home strangulation hazards:

Don’t dress your baby or young child in:
- Clothes with strings attached, such as hoodies or ties on hats
- Jewelry
- Belts
- Ties
- Ribbons
Remove bibs once your child is done eating and before bedtime.
Remove all curtains or blinds with cords and replace them with ones without.
Check pacifiers regularly for wear. It’s best to replace them every few months.

Additional resources for at-home strangulation prevention:

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable, but every year, more than 400 Americans die of it, and tens of thousands more are sickened. The culprit is often common household appliances that malfunction or are misused.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can be especially dangerous during power outages, when people use alternative sources of fuel and electricity for power, such as generators. For example, a bad winter storm in Texas in February 2021 was the most carbon monoxide poisoning incident in recent history, as at least 11 people died and more than 1,400 residents sought emergency care.

The gas is so dangerous because it’s odorless, colorless, and tasteless, and it can be lethal within minutes at high levels. People who survive carbon monoxide poisoning may also suffer brain damage or other long-term health problems.

Some tips for preventing carbon monoxide poisoning at home, courtesy of the CDC:

Have your heating system, water heater, and any other gas, oil, or coal-burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
Install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home. Check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall.
If the detector CO sounds, leave your home immediately and call 911.
Don’t run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.
Don’t use a generator, pressure washer, or gasoline-powered engine less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent. Use an extension cord over 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.

Additional resources to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning at home:

Burns

According to the American Burn Association, almost 500,000 Americans are treated for burn injuries annually. Many of these burns can be prevented by practicing basic safety precautions and making small changes at home.

Scald burns can happen to anyone, usually while preparing food, taking a hot bath, or showering. Young children, older adults, and those with disabilities are the most likely to suffer from scald burns, though.

Almost half of all home fires and subsequent burns are caused by cooking accidents, and many involve the stovetop or gas grill.

More than 1,000 Americans are treated yearly at burn centers for electrical burns. Thousands of more people are treated in emergency rooms and clinics for electrical burns.

Some tips for at-home burn prevention, courtesy of Temple Health:

Create a “No Kid Zone” around the oven and kitchen counters where hot items may be.
Keep pots and pans on the back burner with handles turned away from the stove’s edge.
Regularly clean the stovetop, oven, and exhaust fan to prevent grease buildup.
Do not overload outlets, power strips, multi-plug adapters, or extension cords. One appliance per outlet is a good rule of thumb.
Never leave a lit space heater or fireplace unattended.

Additional resources for at-home burn prevention:

Teaching Home Dangers to Children

Parents are fierce guardians of their children who always try to keep them safe. But there are occasional moments when kids are alone or away from their guardians. That’s why teaching children how to stay safe is essential.

Kids learn by watching their parents, but parents can also teach their children about home hazards through activities that promote safe habits.

Here are some fun, easy safety activities for kids, courtesy of CHOC:

Create a list of water safety guidelines for your family together. Use drawn or cut-out pictures from magazines to illustrate your rules, like always swimming with a buddy, wearing a life jacket, and looking before you leap.
Have your child help you empty buckets, the wading pool, and the bathtub when they aren’t in use—children can drown in as little as two inches of water. Make it a game, and enjoy splashing water on each other while you empty.
Have a safety scavenger hunt at home. Walk around your home and point out potential hazards to your child, like a second-story open window, unattended stovetops, or exposed electrical cords. Be sure to explain how to be safe during these scenarios to your kids.
Have an at-home fire drill. Show your kids what the fire alarm sounds like, practice “stop, drop, and roll,” and where to find the nearest exit.

Additional resources to teach kids at-home safety:

Senior Citizens & Home Dangers

Home is a safe and familiar environment, but they can present numerous safety risks and hazards for older adults. Statistics show that millions of Americans over the age of 65 are treated in emergency years each year for accidents that happen within their own homes.

The hazards of home in people’s golden years are numerous, and even ordinary obstacles like stairs can be tricky. Every year, about three million older adults are treated in emergency rooms for fall injuries, according to the CDC. One out of every five of those falls causes a severe injury, such as broken bones.

Here are some home safety tips for older adults:

To minimize the hazard of climbing stairs, live on one level as much as possible. Install a stair chair. Don’t climb stairs without the help of a caregiver.
Be safe in the shower or bathtub. Install a specialized, easily accessible tub. Use a shower chair and install safety bars.
Nearly every type of flooring carries risks. Carpets and rugs can be a tripping hazard; hard floors can be slippery. Determine which types of flooring or special equipment will keep you safe.
Ensure all areas of the home are well-lit to prevent tripping and falling.

Additional resources for at-home safety for older adults:

Disabled & Caregivers Home Dangers

Everyone wants a safe home for their family members. But when someone in the family – whether an adult or child – needs help to perform basic needs such as bathing and feeding themselves, it can present several challenges.

Twenty-six percent of American adults live with some form of disability. The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities for someone. Disabilities that affect vision, hearing, communication, or cognition can amplify the threat of some home hazards.

Here are some tips for home safety for those with disabilities:

Develop a fire safety pan. This is essential in any home, but especially one where someone with a disability is living. Physical and mental limitations can significantly affect someone’s ability to protect themselves if a fire breaks out in the household.
Consider security cameras in the home. This can be an important feature to provide an extra eye when you’re not physically close to a disabled loved one.
Common safety features in the bathroom can make them safer for those with disabilities, such as grab bars, lifted toilet seats, non-slip tub mats, shower seats, and lowered sinks.

Additional resources for at-home safety for people with disabilities:

Pets & Home Dangers

Some people love their pets so much they think of them like their own children. Because of this, it’s essential to keep the home safe for your “furry children” just as much as you would for your own kids.

Pets like cats and dogs are often just as curious and intrepid as young children, and they can wander into danger unknowingly. Making your home pet-safety-proof can go a long way to keeping them out of harm’s way.

Here are some tips for at-home pet safety:

Move or cover wires and electrical cords so pets don’t chew on them.
Pick up potential choking and poison hazards before you go out.
Secure certain items so your pets can’t get into them, such as medications, laundry supplies, razors, string and dental floss, and batteries.
Put safe flowers and plants in your yard. Plants like daffodils and tulips have alkaloids in their bulbs that can be hazardous to dogs.
Keep a pet poison hotline handy.

Additional resources for at-home pet safety: