Assessment of safety provisions for avoiding home accidents

The present study was undertaken to examine safety measures taken by residents for avoiding home accidents. A sample of 140 households was randomly selected from two areas of Ludhiana district in Punjab. Interview schedule was used to gather data. Modified safety assessment scale was used to judge home safety. Results revealed that safety assessment scoring revealed minimum safety regarding fire and burns (Rural 8.34; Urban 8.15). Safety features like smoke bell, fire extinguisher and sand buckets were not seen in any of the sampled houses. The most lacking safety features were stairs without rail, dark areas, narrow passages, gas cylinder near burner, greasy floors, low parapet, split levels and no safety caps on sockets. Sharp objects and cooking activity were perceived to be the most hazardous. Kitchen, washroom and stairs were identified as accident prone areas by all respondents. It was evident from the results that most of the rural respondents neglected home safety and needed guidelines to avoid home accidents.