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(Your Town/City) Residents Urged to Reduce Home Injury Risks during the Holidays

(Date) – According to the nonprofit Home Safety Council (HSC), home injuries cause an average of nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits each year. The (Your Town/City Agency) says if residents have not prepared, busy holiday events and gatherings could increase the potential for home-related injuries in (Your Town/City) this winter.

The Home Safety Council encourages all families to walk through their homes before the holidays to identify hazards and critical safety precautions. Pay particular attention if very young children or older adults are visiting, as Home Safety Council research shows that these age groups are at greatest risk of suffering a home injury. Follow these suggestions from the Council’s Home Safety Walk-Through:

• Check the lights over all stairways, hallways, porches and entries to ensure all bulbs are working and bright enough to illuminate the entire area below. Use the maximum safe wattage, which is printed inside the fixture.
• If tubs and showers don't already have non-stick strips or mats, install them now. Attach a sturdy grab-bar on the edge of the tub. Place nightlights inside bathrooms and/or in the hallways leading to them.
• If your guests will include toddlers, purchase safety gates and place them at the tops and bottoms of stairways.
• If you have an attached garage and/or fuel-burning heating equipment or appliances, your home should have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector installed to protect sleeping areas.
• Post the local and national poison control hotline number, as well as other local emergency numbers, near every telephone. The National Poison Control Hotline is 1-800-222-1222.
• To guard against curious children, make sure all matches and lighters, medications, household cleaners, toiletries and other dangerous products are in original containers with child-proof closures and locked in a cabinet. Remember to keep purses, backpacks and luggage out of children's reach too.
• Every home must have working smoke alarms installed on each level and protecting all the places people will be sleeping. Before guests arrive, test every smoke alarm and replace any dead or missing batteries.
• Prevent scalds by turning your hot water heater temperature to 120°F or less.
• When toddlers are visiting, use toilet seat locks to prevent drowning. Be aware that buckets, spas, tubs and all standing water are a serious drowning risk for early walkers.
• Make guest rooms safe as well as welcoming. Place a nightlight inside each room and the hallway outside it. Provide each guest with a working flashlight. If possible, place a telephone in each guest room as well.
• When guests arrive, walk through your home fire escape plan, pointing out primary and secondary exits and the outside meeting place. Also point out where emergency numbers are posted.

Free detailed home safety information is available on the Home Safety Council Web site: www.homesafetycouncil.org.