Home safety is an important issue for many families across North America, especially if you have young children at home.
Just think about your baby or toddler crawling around your home on their hands and knees. Your home environment is unknown and potentially dangerous to children, and at the opposite end, seniors – which is why it's crucial to explore your home with safety in mind – to view things from your loved one's perspective.
Consider these statistics:
- One third of serious injuries happen at home
- Home injuries are one of the top reasons for ER visits
- One third of persons 75 and older fall annually in the home
- Avoidable injuries in the home are the leading cause of serious injury and death for kids 14 years old and under
- Children have the highest risk of at home injuries because they spend most of their time there
- The majority of gun-related deaths and injuries happen at home
(* Stats taken from Safety-Council.org )
Supervision is always the best way to prevent injuries at home. When it comes to home safety for babies and toddlers the words “baby proofing” or “childproofing” come up often.
But what about other, avoidable injuries that occur in the home – even in the homes of the most watchful parents? Believe it or not, fundraising organizations can help create awareness around safety in the home and spread education about some simple steps that homeowners can take to help prevent injuries.
Here's how:
Fire Extinguisher Fundraising
Before you start, it's imperative to ensure that the extinguishers you choose to sell meet government fire code standards for the home. Next, you must find fire extinguishers to purchase that are priced low enough to re sell at a profit percentage for your charity. Remember, the goal is to make a good profit.
Fire House Tours
Attract a good crowd of supporters to the local fire house for an educational workshop on how to fire-proof your home more effectively and what precautions to take if a fire does start in the home. You can double a fire house learning experience with a fundraising hot dog or bake sale for extra donations.
Home Safety Seminars
Because the statistics show that most accidents occur at home, why not use your fundraising efforts to promote home safety by offering classes that teach people how to safe proof their homes – including information on shower safety, wearing the proper equipment when mowing lawns, how to safely clean eaves troves and put up and take down holiday lights and decorations, and gun storage safety care of your local police station?
Lighting Safety 101
Home lighting safety starts with keeping interiors and exteriors well lit at night and also in winter when daylight dwindles much earlier in the day. Sell motion detector lights, flash lights and emergency lighting for the home as fundraising products.
This will help keep accident-prone areas illuminated (such as the stairs, outdoors and foyers). And as a bonus, contact a local electrical company to see if they would install the lighting at a discount cost as part of a charity fundraiser.
Teach Online Safety
Have a local teacher or media personality talk to kids about Internet safety. Teach them why putting personal information online is dangerous, and educate on how to establish safe schedules and routines with other family members so they always know where you are and when to expect you at home.
Charity Handyman
Because the risk of home accidents go up when doing regular maintenance or repair work, fundraisers can offer community residents a handyman or woman's skills in exchange for donations. This will help ensure safe and professional services, and prevent accidents or injuries that could otherwise be avoided by unskilled handy people.
Home Safety Inspections
For small donations offer a home walk-about, where a volunteer “inspector” explores the home and takes note of potential hazards (for example, stuff left on stairs that could cause a trip and fall, snow or slippery surfaces, overhead hazards that could fall, and lights along pathways and driveways that will illuminate areas as you back the car up and keep children and pets safe).
