Protect Yourself and Your Home During National Home Safety Month

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Jun 01, 2010, 01:22 ET

AARP Provides "30 for 30" Home Safety Facts and Tips for Illinoisans

CHICAGO, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- June is National Home Safety Month, and AARP is launching an effort to protect individuals from common household calamities with their "30 for 30" home safety tips – 30 daily facts and tips. Did you know that 65,000 barbecue grill fires cause as much as $27 million in property losses each year? Have you thought about moving your grill a little farther from the house?

"There are some very simple steps that people can take to help protect themselves and their homes," said Merri Dee, AARP Illinois State President. "We hope that AARP's '30 for 30' home safety tips will help shed some light on common home safety hazards to create safer homes and communities for all Illinoisans."

For each day in the month of June, "30 for 30" provides a fact or tip for ensuring a safer home. For example:

Did you know that most falls in homes happen in the bathroom, not on the stairs?
Did you know that cooking-related fires are the leading cause of injuries among people 65 years of age and older? Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing while cooking and use a timer to remind yourself to check food you have in the oven.
Did you know that more people are injured using hand tools than power tools?
Did you know that each year approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths occur in U.S. homes due to scalding from excessively hot tap water? To help avoid this, adjust the temperature setting of your home hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, or consider installing temperature limiting faucets on bathtubs, showers, and sinks.
Did you know that each year an average of 20,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with garage doors?
Did you know that many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains high lead levels and lead from paint, paint chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not take care of properly?

The facts connected with each of the "30 for 30" tips suggest specific preventative actions. The entire list of 30 tips and facts is available at www.aarp.org.

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SOURCE AARP Illinois