Bathroom Safety
by Niall Roche
Stop Accidents Before They Happen
Most people tend to look at their bathroom as a retreat away
from the world. They never, for one second, consider that this
room can be extremely dangerous at times. A recent study showed
that one of the singlest biggest gaps in most home safety plans
was the bathroom. Look at the bathroom itself. When you're in
there you're surrounded by water, slippery tiles and hard
ceramic surfaces. These could quite easily cause injury were
you to fall against them. Believe it or not you're more likely
to have an accident in your bathroom than any other room in
your home! Anybody who has slipped in their shower will be able
to identify with this fact. The overall lack of safety awareness
in most homes means that many bathrooms are accidents just
waiting to happen.
Your bathroom is filled with water - it's everywhere in the
room - from the sink to the bath tub or shower. Walking on or
around water in your bare feet increases the risk of injury
100%. It's amazing how many people won't user a shower mat or
slippers while walking around on soap and water. Many of the
latest bath and shower units do come with specially etched
floors which are designed to prevent slippage. That being said
there's absolutely no harm in having a bath or shower mat
present also. If you're not taking precautions then you're
taking risks. Sadly people are fatally injured in bathroom
falls each and every day. Prevent yourself from becoming a
statistic!
Now it's time to look at the bathroom floor itself. What type
of surface is it? If the bathroom has tiles on the floor then
make sure that either they're non-slip tiles or that they're
coated with something to prevent you from slipping and falling.
If you can't find something to coat them with then make sure you
use rubber-backed bathroom rugs to cover the main areas of the
floor - especially near the sink itself. There's always the
options of recovering the bathroom floor with perhaps a tough
industrial carpet (not very attractive but you won't slip on
it) or replacing those slippery tiles with another type that
are designed for bathrooms. Many people just use normal wall
tiles on bathroom floors - this is incredibly dangerous! Your
local home decor or DIY store will be able to offer lots of
advice on this subject.
Now finally look at the various fixtures and fittings that are
dotted around the bathroom. There are shelves, cabinets,
nozzles, faucets and furniture items all around the room. The
vast majority of bathrooms are designed with form and
aesthetics as opposed to functionality and safety. You'll
notice faucets with pointed eges, mirrors with no surround or
shatterproof coating etc. These fixtures in bathrooms are the
ones most often responsible for head injuries and are therefore
one of the single biggest concerns that you need to address in
your new drive for bathroom safety.
Why neglect safety in your bathroom when you'd never dream of
neglecting it in any other family room? It's only when you open
your eyes to the possible dangers present that they really do
become clear. Hopefully the above has given you something to
think about in this regard.
About The Author: If you want to add a new lease of life to
your tired old bathroom why not click over to
http://www.BathroomCentral.com
for lots more bathroom
decorating tips and ideas.