How safety smart are you?

November 23, 2009 07:29 pm | Updated 07:29 pm IST

Disaster : Fire spreads very fast. Photo : AFP

Disaster : Fire spreads very fast. Photo : AFP

Ignorance, negligence and not knowing what to do in certain situations can expose you and your family to accidents of various kinds. Therefore it is important to be the “Safety Smart Kid” at home so that you understand what needs to be done in case of a mishap.

Here are some safety tips that can empower you to be Safety Smart: -

During your family time, ensure that you and your parents draw a fire escape plan for your home. A good fire escape plan includes two ways out of every room and an outside meeting place.

If fire breaks out in your home, try to put it off with a fire extinguisher immediately and also turn off fuel-burning appliances. It is easy to use a fire extinguisher — just remember “PASS” — Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep. That is the right way to use a fire extinguisher. If the fire is large enough everyone should try and escape as quickly as possible, stay low to the floor and call for fire fighting technicians immediately.

It is very important to always be careful about electric safety. Use the right sockets and do not put exposed wires in the socket. Never overload outlets with too many plugs, which may cause the outlet to heat up and cause a fire.

When you select light bulbs, make sure you use light bulbs of equal or lesser wattage as recommended by the lamp or fixture manufacturer. Details are always mentioned in the package.

While you are off on a long vacation, make sure to switch off all electric appliances at home and also inform a neighbour about your whereabouts so that they can take immediate action in case of an emergency.

Safety tips by global safety experts, Underwriters Laboratories (UL)

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.