Everyone exercises caution while on the road, at work, or at an amusement park because everyone understands the risks of suffering personal injury in such environments. But in your own home feels different, and it is the last place you would expect to suffer a life-altering injury, so most people have their guard down. However, tens of thousands of Americans do suffer injuries, which in some cases lead to death while around the homestead. 

It is not only people in your household who are at risk of getting into an accident on your property. Other invitees, such as your guests, service providers, delivery drivers and maintenance guys, are also at risk, and you may be liable for the accidents. Below are tips that can help make your household safe.

Eliminate Clutter

A disorderly home with clutter and debris strewn everywhere is a great environment for an accident. It could be old and new toys, rags, containers, ropes, wires, or furniture; if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, they become a hazard. 

If you have too much stuff that you do not necessarily need, you will always have problems with clutter, so eliminate what you do not need by storing it away, selling or sharing it with people that would have a need for it. If it is unwanted debris such as twigs and leaves, dispose of it properly.

Improve Lighting

Poor lighting contributes to many fall accidents, so you want to ensure that all areas of your home have proper lighting. This can mean doing regular checks to see what bulbs need replacement and what areas need installation of lights. 

Lights are especially important on staircases, parking lots, and walkways. Keeping all areas lighted can be quite expensive in terms of energy costs, so you may want to consider a motion sensor bulb trigger that only switches the light on when needed.

Keep Floors and Walk Areas Dry

Wet floors and walk areas pose the most significant risk of falls in the homestead. So clear spills as soon as you discover them and have a protocol for doing so for every member of your household. Keeping walkways dry is not always possible, so the best approach is installing walkways with anti-slip properties, but even then, ice and snow buildup can cause them to be overly slippery. 

In case of heavy snow buildup, you may need to shovel it out of your driveways and walkways. At other times, salting may do the trick. Also, ensure your household members wear weather-appropriate shoes to prevent an accident. 

Regular Maintenance

Everything eventually wears out, so you must conduct regular inspections of your household to ensure it is safe and fix areas that need fixing. Some of the areas you need to pay attention to are staircases, railings, pavements, tiles, etc. If you have had groundwork done somewhere, ensure you cover it and mark or fence off open hazards. 

In the past, you could use the open and obvious hazard as a defense against liability for an accident caused by hazards that a claimant ought to have seen. But it has become more complicated now following an amendment to the rules of open and obvious hazards. 

While you could still claim the victim was partly at fault in the accident, you will still have liability for an accident, and this is where home and property liability insurance come in to deflect liability to your insurer when the inevitable happens.