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Is your home safe for your family and guests? September 22—the first day of fall—marks the 10th annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day, making it a great time to look for fall risks in and around your home.
While taking a tumble might seem like a relatively minor incident, it can have catastrophic consequences. Falls are the leading cause of hospital emergency room visits, according to the National Floor Safety Institute, and up to half of all accidental deaths in the home can be attributed to a fall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that among senior citizens, a fall is the leading cause of injury or death, with 27,000 fatalities from falls recorded per year.
As a homeowner, you have a vested interest in protecting yourself from the danger of others falling on your property, as slips and falls are the most common type of premises civil liability claims.
While you can’t always protect yourself, your family or guests from falls resulting from missteps or risky behavior, you can attempt to make your property reasonably safe by following simple fall prevention guidelines.
According to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, almost 15,000 children under the age of eleven are injured each year by falling from windows. Screens are not designed to prevent falls, and cannot be trusted as a safety measure. Window guards can help reduce risk, as can the practice of placing cribs away from any windows.
While falls are a risk for people of all ages, older Americans are more likely to be severely injured or killed in an accident involving a fall. For homeowners with elderly loved ones and visitors, these additions can aid in fall prevention.
These safety tips can help make your property reasonably safe for your loved ones, family members and visitors. If a visitor to your home is injured in a fall while on your property, contact your homeowners insurance company and report the details immediately after rendering aid.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not form a part of, replace, change or amend any terms, conditions, provisions or language within your Olympus Insurance policy. We encourage you to read your entire policy.