How to Reduce Safety Concerns for Guests on Your Property

When visitors come to your home, you want them to be comfortable and safe. Unfortunately, accidents do sometimes happen, and the resulting injuries can cause strain on your friendship and finances. Although insurance can help mitigate the cost of an accidental injury claim, you may still require an attorney to protect your interests. It’s best to avoid the situation whenever possible by working to keep your home safe. Here are a few of the most common household risks and ways to avoid them: Falls Slips and falls account for about 40% of all injuries sustained in the home, and they’re the leading cause of injuries to home visitors. Guests may be unfamiliar with the terrain around your home, and safety hazards around the house may increase their chances of slipping. Although you may know that the last step in your stairs is an odd height or that there are extension cords crossing the yard, your guests won’t know to avoid these hazards. It’s best to clear your home of hazards. Pay special attention to clearing debris from walkways, and repair any unsteady or damaged stairs and porches. Animal Bites Dogs and cats have wills of their own, and they sometimes aren’t as friendly toward your guests as you might want them to be. Even a generally friendly animal can have an “off” day, and a stranger could trigger their defensive behavior. It’s important to keep your pets well trained and well socialized to avoid possible bites. It’s also not a bad idea to keep your pets away from guests during occasions that might over-excite them. Tucking them away in a quiet room during a party will be a lot less stressful for everyone. Kitchen Mishaps Dinner parties can be fun, but they can pose risks like burns and cuts to your guests. Reduce the number of kitchen accidents by keeping your knives properly sharpened, turning pot handles inward and encouraging appropriate dress in the kitchen. You might feel a little awkward at first, but a safe kitchen is the first step to safe guests. For more information about home safety risks, you can reference the most extensive study ever completed on the topic, the 2004 Home Safety Council report. Of course, even the most careful homeowner cannot always protect their visitors from themselves. If visitors to your Mobile, AL home have recently been injured, it might be time to contact an attorney about handling the liability claim.