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Are you prepared for safety threats that you may face at home? From tornadoes and fires to medical emergencies, it’s important to be prepared. Get started with these tips to develop an at-home safety plan.
By Caterpillar | Updated: June 3, 2022
You know how to keep yourself safe on a work site, but what about the threats that you face at home? There are a wide range of hazards and risks at home, from tornadoes and fires to medical emergencies and winter storms. Just as you have a comprehensive safety plan at work, you also need one for your family.
Here at Caterpillar, we're big on cultivating safety in all aspects of life — especially since almost 90% of preventable medically consulted injuries actually occur off the job. Just like at work, one of the best ways to prevent injuries at home is to develop a safety plan and have regular conversations about how to be safe with your family. Let's take a closer look at how to make a safety plan for your home.
Below are some steps to create a general home safety plan. This is not all-inclusive, but a good place to begin. Remember to factor in unique needs, like accommodations for disabilities and pets.
Below are some steps to create a general home safety plan. This is not all-inclusive, but a good place to begin. Remember to factor in unique needs, like accommodations for disabilities and pets.
Your home safety plan should include an evacuation and take shelter plan. For each scenario, document your plan and evacuation location and practice it with your family. Below are a few scenarios to include in your plan:
A great way to get your family involved is to have the kids help in creating their route and tracing it on a diagram. This exercise offers visualization and a handy reminder to put on the wall. Be sure to think proactively when planning, just like you do on the job, and run through the drills frequently.
The best time to stock up on emergency supplies is before there's an emergency. Every family should have an emergency preparedness kit and everyone in the family should know where it’s stored. Depending on where you live, you may need additional items, but the list below is a good place to start:
It's also a good idea to have basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on hand. Should you find yourself navigating through rubble from a natural disaster (think downed trees, broken glass, etc) you'll be glad you planned ahead. Safety glasses, work gloves, dust masks, and closed-toed shoes are the fundamentals.
You'll also want a first-aid kit, with items like gauze, trauma shears, tourniquets, antiseptic wipes, emergency blankets, breathing barriers and cold compresses. Approximately 48% of Americans don't have these kinds of emergency supplies, but you can make sure you're not one of them.
Enable Emergency Alerts on Your Phone: While sudden emergency alerts on your phone might be startling, they're super-valuable in times of emergency, so make sure you have them enabled. Make sure you know the difference between a “watch” and a “warning” and how to react. A battery-powered radio can also enable you to tune into Emergency Alert Systems.
Hard Copy of Emergency Contacts: Ever lose your phone and find you can't remember phone numbers of friends and family? Us too. That's a problem during an emergency. Plan for it with a manual back up: Create a paper contact card for your family members to carry with them that contains everyone's phone number, along with alternative contact numbers, like school and work, and numbers for emergency services.
These contact cards can be especially important to help first responders understand the situation if any member of your family doesn't speak the dominant language of the area or is unable to communicate.
You may also want to document information about daily medications, dietary needs, frequent locations visited, disabilities, pets, and care responsibilities, such as looking after an elderly relative.
On the job site, you know how important it is to have a culture of safety. The same applies to the home. One way to build a safety culture and mindset is to engage the whole family in safety drills, planning and training. Teach kids about 911 - how and when to call (and when not to).
Take a CPR class together as a family.
Make sure kids understand basic safety equipment at home.
Walk around the house and garage and identify other items that could pose a threat like power tools, lawn care equipment, fireplaces, household chemicals and pools. Discuss safety measures with your family and, if needed, put protective equipment systems in place (like locks, gates, etc).
Remember that complacency is your enemy when it comes to safety. Don't just do the drills once and assume everyone will remember - instead set monthly reminders on your calendar to have a safety discussion and practice your home safety plan.
Think about and prepare for specific emergency situations where you live and discuss safety procedures with family. If you live in sunny California, you'll want to include earthquakes and wildfires in your at-home safety plan strategy. Someone in the Midwest might be more concerned about tornadoes and winter storms. If you travel to any of these places, it's especially important to educate your family and have a plan in advance, as you're likely unfamiliar with the area and local hazards.
Here are a few things to consider preparing for:
Safety culture is key in your personal safety plan at home and on the job. Caterpillar Safety Services offers a variety of Safety Services to help improve safety in industrial environments.
Learn more about Safety Services today.
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