Safety in the home
Every year, serious accidents happen in the home as a result of fire or faulty electrical and gas equipment, but there are simple steps you can take to protect your family and ensure safety in the home.
ZK Investments insures the building that you live in, but this does not cover the contents of your home – your furniture and personal belongings.
The contents of your home are your own responsibility. We strongly recommend that you take out home insurance to protect your possessions.
Reducing the risk of fire
Smoke detectors are fairly cheap and easy to fit and can save lives by giving you early warning of a fire.
All our rented properties are fitted with smoke detectors but you need to check the battery regularly.
Other simple safety measures include:
• Always use a fire guard
• make sure cigarettes and candles are put out properly and never leave them unattended
• keep matches out of the reach and sight of children
• never leave a chip pan unattended
• always turn down gas fires and close all doors when leaving the room
• do not remove internal doors and do not tamper with the self-closing mechanism of any door or wedge the door open.
• The closers have been fitted so that any fire is contained in a small area, giving you time to escape.
• If a fire does break out, don’t try to put it out yourself unless you can do so quickly and safely.
• You should leave the room straight away, closing the door behind you. This will slow down the spread of fire and reduce the spread of smoke, which is the main danger in most fires.
Get everybody outside, again, closing all doors behind you as you go, then call 999, giving the phone number you are calling from, and ask for the fire brigade.
Give your name and address and say where the fire is. Wait until the fire brigade has repeated the address before you hang up.
Never use water on a fire involving electrical appliances, fat, oil or spirits. Instead, switch off the gas or electricity supply if a heater or oven is involved, or smother the fire with a mat, woollen blanket or overcoat.
Making your home secure
Being burgled is distressing, even if nothing valuable is stolen. Most burglaries however, are opportunistic crimes. You can make life harder for burglars by following these steps:
• always secure windows and lock your doors when you go out. Mortise locks discourage
• burglars so it is a good idea to have them fitted to your front door
• do not encourage the attention of thieves by having curtains drawn in the daytime, leaving notes for callers, or leaving your key under a mat or on a string inside the letter box
• do not leave the key in the lock or within sight of the door
• when you go on holiday, cancel newspaper and milk deliveries.
• It is a good idea to give your holiday address to a trusted neighbour or the police
• never leave cash and valuables around
• lock up before you go to bed. Make sure that the windows are secure, especially those on the ground floor or those near drainpipes or flat roofs.
Electrical safety
These simple steps can help you avoid accidents:
• always make sure that new electrical appliances carry the label of the British Electrical Approval
• Board (BEAB) guarantee of safety sign
• make sure that plugs are wired correctly and that fuses are working
• do not use long flexes
• do not have too many items plugged into one socket
• check flexes and fittings regularly for worn or damaged parts or loose connections
• make sure radiant fires have safety guards
• never touch plugs, switches or electrical equipment if you have wet hands
• never use portable electrical equipment in the bathroom (except shavers with a special shaver socket)
For more advice on electrical safety, contact your electricity supplier.
Visit also the link for further useful tips and contact numbers in case of an electricity emergency. Find out more
GAS SAFETY
If you smell gas:
• don’t strike a match or use naked flames
• put out cigarettes and cigars
• don’t use electrical switches
• open doors and windows to let the gas escape
• check to see if the gas tap has been left on, or a gas ring or pilot light has blown out
If you suspect a gas leak, turn off the whole supply at the meter and contact the Gas Emergency Service (National Grid) immediately on freephone 0800 111 999.
Further advice about gas safety is available on the National Grid website.
Visit the link below for further tips and emergency contact numbers. Find out more
Category : Advice