Common Hazards at Home

No home is complete without hazards. If you’re exposed to natural elements, have running water, use electricity, own appliances, or even live in a neighbourhood with other people, there are risks (from likely to extremely unlikely) that your home faces.

So, what can you do about them? You can identify the key hazards in your home, understand them, and find strategies to mitigate as much risk as possible.

We should all have smoke alarms and are mostly aware of how dangerous fires can be. However, some simple steps can either reduce your chances of a residential house fire or greatly increase your chances.

Fires are normally caused:

• in the kitchen, with Fire and Rescue NSW believing around half of all house fires started in there^[1]
• by electrical appliances, believed to cause another 40% of home fires^[1]
• by cigarettes, candles, and heaters.

It might seem like common sense, but you can decrease your odds of a fire hazard in the home by:

• staying with your food as it's cooking
• checking cords on your electrical appliances for frays
• immediately following up with an electrician if a device trips your safety switch
• not leaving open flames (such as candles) unattended, or near blinds and curtains
• not leaving heaters unattended
• not smoking inside.

Whether it’s a leaky showerhead, burst Flexi-hose or simply a spilled glass of water, loose liquid can be a hazard to both your home and its occupants. In fact, a tap leaking at a rate of one drip per second could waste more than 12,000L of water a year.

And if that leak is inside your walls or in cabinetry, you might end up needing to make some serious repairs.

So, what should you do?

Mostly, you should stay alert. Check Flexi-hoses regularly and replace them as often as recommended by the manufacturer. And if you spot a leak or a drip, it’s better to be proactive, rather than reactive.

There’s no way we wouldn’t want electricity in our homes, but equally, it does pose a risk. Even before you consider the immediate electrocution risks, an overloaded circuit is a common cause of house fires.^[2]

The best thing you can do is always use a licenced, trained electrician. Never do your own electrical work – even if it may seem like a simple job. You can also never use double-adaptors or power boards that aren’t surge-protected – they’re an easy ticket to overloading.

You’d mostly assume heavy rainfall, lightning and hail would be the main weather threats to your home. But wild winds can be just as (if not more) hazardous.

As a point of prevention, you should regularly check your roof for corrosion, rotten timber, termite attacks, and loose fixings. It’s also worth securing any outdoor furniture or play equipment you can, so the wind has less of a chance of sending them flying.

Data compiled in Budget Direct’s Home burglary survey & statistics found that from April 2020 to April 2021, over 4% of Australian homes experienced a break-in or attempted break-in. From those, personal items, money, and tools were the most common items stolen.

As means of prevention, you can:

• Increase security – Thieves are far less likely to target properties that are protected by home security systems.
• Involve yourself in the community – If your area has a neighbourhood watch program, staying involved can help keep valuable eyes and protection on your home.
• Don’t let people snoop – Whether it’s door-to-door salespeople or unknown strangers, don’t let uninvited guests peer inside your home.