Your house is your haven and your shelter.

Its also a pretty common place to die in an unpredictableand usually preventableaccident.

Its also why we put a lot of effort, time, and money into things likesecurity systems.

We want to ensure that outside threats stop at our front door.

But the unfortunate fact is that, a lot of times, the threats are coming frominsidethe house.

How does this happen?

Always wash your hands after handling cleaning products, plants, or medications.

Most falls involve your deadliest enemy within a home:the stairs.

Traversing stairs is not the time to multitask or check your phone.

All stairs should have a railingand you should always use the railing when walking up and down stairs.

Bathrooms can be risky places for falls because of water pooling on tiled floors.

Fire is typically a pretty top-of-mind threat, which may help explain its low fatality in the home.

But theres more you’re able to do to prevent fire in your home.

And always extinguish candles when you leave a room.

Better yet, consider switching to battery-powered candles.

Never leave an open flamelike a burner on your stoveunattended.

Always have a working fire extinguisher in the kitchen, or near any fireplaces in the home.

Never go to sleep with plastic bagslike dry-cleaning bagson the bed.

Be conscious of your food when eating, and be sure to chew thoroughly and not rush.

Never run or walk while eatingalways eat while sitting.

To prevent accidental drowning in the home, you should

Never leave small children unattended in water.

Invest in a pool fence if you have small children in the house.

Never leave containers of water open and full.

Dump out tubs, buckets, and other receptacles when not in use, and keep toilet lids down.

And extreme cold combined with poverty or malfunctioning heaters can bejust as deadly.

Many local utilities will schedule a check-up for your furnace, boiler, or air-conditioning systems.

Pay attention.Check weather reports and sign up for alerts from your local government.

If extreme heat or cold is predicted, be aware and check that your systems are working.

Know symptoms.Be familiar with thesymptoms of heat-related illnessesandhypothermia.

And yet, not so much.

Just 400 accidental gunshot deaths in the home occurred in 2021, for example.

Always assume a gun is loaded.

Never play with a gun or use it for any purpose other than what it was designed to do.

Bleach

Cleaning products are dangerous, especially if mixed improperly.

But you dont have to ingest cleaning products to die from them.

One of the mostcommon mistakesfolks make is mixing bleach with stuff that triggers a deadly reactionlike vinegar.

Instead, you getchlorine gas.

But its also a time-honored way toget yourself dead.