7 Home Safety Hazards to Avoid

Renown home safety expert and how-to guru, Alvin Ubell, Founder of Accurate Building Inspectors of Brooklyn (Accuratebuilding.com), has seen it all. Here, he shares the worst safety slips he's seen in homes where children live. The good news: they're all easy to fix. 

1. The biggest one in the NY Metro area is railings on terraces and balconies with horizontal bars. "They attract kids, because kids love to climb. The railing itself may be sturdy and in perfect condition, but nothing will protect a kid once she’s scaled the railing and is teetering on the top of it," explains Ubell.

Solution: If you are already live in an apartment that has one, make sure the area is inaccessible to your child, secured with a childproof lock.

2. Chipping paint on walls, baseboards and radiators. Toddlers can be tempted to eat it.

Solution: Repaint every three to four years to keep those surfaces in good condition.

3. Signs of a carbon monoxide leak that go unnoticed. Moisture on windows, the smell of high humidity in the house (when it's not a sultry summer day) and black streaks on walls surrounding radiators, electrical outlets and switch covers are all big red flags.

Solution: A carbon monoxide detector is as important as a smoke dectector. 

4. Light switches too close to water. Believe it or not, Ubell has seen shower stalls with light switches inside them for "convenience."