This is a guest post by Martha Bonnie for Poison Prevention Week (March 14-20). If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
Did you know that over 80% of accidents in the home occur in the bathroom? Wet floors, cleaning chemicals, prescription and over the counter medications, to name just a few of those hazards. Do your part to minimize accidents in your own home and those of your friends, families and patients.
Recently, while visiting a family member out-of-town, I noted that my relative had his prescription medications lined up on the counter where my children could easily reach the bottles. Because this relative lives alone, he asks the pharmacy to put on caps that are easy to open and not childproof. Within moments, my children could easily open, ingest and poison themselves with his heart and blood pressure medications. A short conversation advising him of the potential dangers, resulted in the medications being put into a locked cabinet safely out of the reach of curious hands.
Other ways to prevent accidents in the bathroom include:
- Set your water temperature to no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit
- Close your toilet seat, if you have young children
- Put away or lock all medications, cleaning supplies, razors, and adult toiletries
- Remove electrical appliances, such as hair dryers and curling irons, from the bathroom
- Never leave a child unattended in a bathtub
