A new consumer book aims to be the complete guide to proactively addressing home safety hazards, including those that cause the falls, sprains and strains that land many patients in occupational therapy.

Falls tend to be the number one home safety hazard, according to "Preventing Home Accidents" (Hunter House Publishers Inc., 2012) author Dan Hannan, certified safety professional. "Falls can be from ladders, from working on the roof; falls can be from stairs. Falls can be from using tools improperly, such as standing on a kitchen table to change a light bulb, or not using a ladder appropriately. Falls can be from the same level — if [for example] you trip, or getting in and out of a tub," Hannan said.

Other leading home safety issues are fires, electrical hazards (inside and outside the home), drownings and poisonings. Hannan, a safety professional for the past 20 years, spells out solutions in the book and includes checklists for readers at the end of each chapter.

First steps: Stop. Think.

One of the most important things adults can do to improve home safety is work on hazard recognition, he said. "We basically improve that skill by slowing down, by stopping, by thinking, by taking a path and breaking it down into two different parts and asking yourself: 'What hazards might be with each of those steps in the process, and how you can improve those?’" he said.

He used the example of cleaning leaves from the gutter. Someone who recognizes potential hazards would note that carrying an extension ladder could be a hazard, which could be avoided by properly carrying and lifting it. "There’s the hazard of the ladder, itself. Maybe I should look it over to make sure nothing’s broken," he said. "I have to use the ladder to get up on the roof, so I have to have the ladder at the proper angle. I can’t over-reach while on the ladder. And, lastly, after putting up the ladder, I have to make sure there are no overhead power lines that it could contact."

Right tools for the job

Avoiding falls often means using the right tool for the job, Hannan said. "If you have to change a light bulb that you can’t reach ... you should ask: 'Is the chair the proper tool for reaching the light bulb? If it’s not, is using a stepstool is a better choice?’" he said.

People can avoid common sprains and strains by using the right tools, including using a wheelbarrow or dolly instead of trying to lift heavy items, according to Hannan.

"Warming the body and stretching it prior to doing a task [helps]. Believe it or not, a lot of major construction contractors see a lot of value in 10 minutes of stretching every morning for all their construction workers," Hannan said.

Attention to the elderly

Cindy Roth, CEO of the ergonomics engineering company Ergonomic Technologies Corp., based in Syosset, N.Y., wrote a chapter in Hannan’s book and offers more tips, which PTs can pass along to their elderly patients.

Many elderly people are still vacuuming and taking care of their homes, Roth said. "Here’s a case where it may cost a little more ... but vacuums that are self-propelled would be easier for an older person to use than those that have to be pushed," she said.

Older patients should avoid using casserole dishes or pots and pans that are heavy when they’re empty. They only get heavier when they’re full, Roth said.

When stocking the refrigerator, place the heavier objects up front, and not on the bottom, where one might bend over to remove them, Roth said. "Rather put ... heavier items at waist height in the refrigerator," she said. "If they have a linen or cleaning closet, the heavier the object, the closer it should be to the person."

When working in gardens, elderly people should consider using tools with telescopic handles, according to Roth. "There are garden tools where they can arrange the size of the tool, so they can sit while gardening," she said. "[But] never sit and lift — there is too much force on your spine."

And OTs should encourage elderly patients to ask for help, Roth said. "If you’re going grocery shopping, allow those young guys at the grocery store to lift your packages into your trunk, making sure the heaviest are in the front, so you don’t have to reach in and lift up," she said. •

Lisette Hilton is a freelance writer.