Safety at home

Here are some practical tips to help prevent accidents in your home. Please also follow our advice on fire safety, gas safety and keeping communal areas safe.

Window safety

If your home is above ground level you will be issued with window restrictors. These enable you to open your window just enough to let air in while keeping you safe.

• never remove window restrictors unless the window is being cleaned. Once cleaning has been carried out re-engage them immediately
• never leave a window unattended when a window restrictor is removed
• always keep windows closed and locked when not needed or when children are not supervised
• do not allow children to open windows or use a window restrictor
• do make sure that furniture kids can climb on is away from windows and cannot be used as step

If your window restrictors are faulty please report it to us online or by calling our contact centre on 020 8489 5611.

For more on window safety see the Child Accident Prevention Trust website.

Smoking

According to the London Fire Brigade, smoking remains the leading cause of fire-related deaths, so it's important for smokers to take simple precautions to stay safe. Avoid smoking in bed or on armchairs and sofas, especially if you think you might fall asleep.

See more advice on disposing of cigarettes safely in shared or outside spaces.

Living room

You should always:

• keep open fires, electric and gas fires and portable heaters guarded
• protect electrical sockets by fitting child proof covers

Kitchen

Some kitchen safety tips:

• make sure all sharp kitchen implements are kept out of reach and sight at all times
• make sure all potentially dangerous liquids, such as bleach and detergents are kept out of reach – preferably in a locked container/cupboard
• when cooking, keep pans out of reach of young children
• fit short or curly leads to kettles, coffee makers, deep fat fryers and similar items
• keep hot drinks out of reach at all times
• use place mats rather than table cloths to help prevent hot drinks and food being pulled onto young children and toddlers
• look at having a fire blanket available and know what to do in the event of a chip pan fire

Hallways and staircases

Tips to keep hallways and staircases safe:

• if toddlers are in the house, you should have stair gates fitted in the right place and of the correct type
• keep hallways and staircases free from clutter such as toys and clothes

Bedrooms

Safety tips for bedrooms:

• make sure your child's night wear is fully flame retardant
• make sure accessible windows are fitted with safety locks – safety restrictors should not be removed unless for cleaning
• bunk beds should only be used by children over 6 years old

Bathrooms

Some bathroom safety tips:

• make sure medicines are kept out of reach of children preferably in a locked bathroom cabinet
• keep pills in containers with child resistant tops. Do not transfer pills into unmarked bottles
• cosmetics should not be accessible
• set the thermostat on your hot water system or immersion heater no higher than 54 degrees centigrade
• do not leave young children alone in the bathroom
• use a bath mat if the bath is not slip resistant