If there’s one place where you should be completely comfortable and safe, it’s your home. But, unfortunately, home sweet home is a place where many serious accidents occur.

According to one source, 35.9 million preventable home accidents requiring trips to doctors or hospitals occurred in 2021. And almost eight in 10 — 78% — of all avoidable injury-related fatalities occur in residences. Meanwhile, the National Safety Council reports that an estimated 178,400 preventable injury-related fatalities occurred in residences and communities in 2022. 

It adds, meanwhile, that 53,500,000 people faced non-fatal injuries requiring medical care in the home and community that same year. 

While people should be safe at home, here are three of the worst accidents that can and do occur.

1. Trips, Slips, and Falls

One source notes that, in 2022, 46,653 people died due to falls at home and in the workplace. The sad reality, however, is that falls are largely avoidable. When people fall at home and get injured or worse, it’s often because of a lack of proper precautions. 

Climbing on ladders, navigating a cluttered home, or wearing loose clothes that get tangled in equipment are some reasons for slips, trips, and falls. 

Take an inventory of your property — interior and exterior — to see possible problems. While some people trip, slip, or fall because their legs give out, more often than not, the causes are avoidable. If there’s clutter in or outside your home, restore order from chaos immediately. 

Ensure everything in your home and on your property has a place. Avoid clutter and ensure sufficient space to get to and from. Doing these things can reduce the odds of accidents.

2. Falling Objects

Did you know nearly eight of 10 deaths stemming from television, appliance, and furniture tip-overs involve kids who are five years old and younger? It’s a big problem parents must recognize and take steps to safeguard against so their little ones are safe at home. 

Falling objects can make your home unsafe if you’re not careful. Young children don’t recognize the dangers that objects on tables, shelves, and other things pose to their well-being. You’ll need to kid-proof your home so your children stay safe. 

If you have a TV, anchor it to a wall instead of putting it high on a stand that can easily be knocked over. Be mindful of where you place bookcases or what you put on tables or stands. You don’t want toddlers to grab ahold of things that can pose falling-object risks. 

3. Burns

According to the American Burn Association, 85% of scald burns happen in the home versus 74% of other kinds of burns. It adds that someone in the U.S. experiences a burn injury severe enough to require medical care around every minute. That works out to an estimated 486,000 injuries annually. Unfortunately, burns are common. And it’s not just kids who are at risk. 

Adults experience their fair share of burns, whether from cooking, using the oven or iron, drinking hot drinks, or using curling irons. The slightest mistake can cause burns. 

Avoiding burns is as simple as taking precautions around things in your home that can cause them. You should also ban your young children from using the stove, oven, toaster oven, microwave, or other heat-generating appliances and equipment without adult supervision.

Accidents Aren’t Limited to the Home

While some serious accidents occur in the home, unfortunate incidents occur elsewhere, too. For instance, millions of people every year are injured in car accidents as drivers, passengers, or pedestrians. The aftermath of these mishaps can leave people on the sidelines for longer than they can imagine. 

It’s the sort of scenario requiring help from a personal injury lawyer. Taking time off work, paying for medical treatment, and other things will cost a lot of money. A personal injury lawyer can help people dealing with accidents to get fair compensation.

Even so, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So, take the right precautions, and you can reduce your risks for accidents whether at home, at work, on the road, or elsewhere.