Watch Those Stairs: 7 Ways of Preventing Falls

Stairs are the cause for most of the accidental falls in the home. Because of the severity of these falls stairs falls are also the leading cause of death due to falls in the home. Consider the following 7 tips to keep your house safe and to prevent dangerous falls.

1) Be sure that the edge of the stairs are highly visible. Use a black border or some other indicator which keeps the edge of the step visible. Carpet patterns should not hide the edge of steps. Many falls are a result of some believing the steps have ended when in actually there are one or two more steps.

2) Don't place throw rugs at the top or bottom of the stairs. If rugs are used be sure to properly secure them with carpet tape or non-slip rubber backing.  

3) On non-carpeted stairs use skid resistant surface treatments, non-skid tape, or rubber stair treads. Follow the directions of experts for application.

4) Be sure handrails are installed on both sides of the stairs.

5) Be sure that the stairway has adequate lighting and switches are installed at both the top and bottom of the stairs.

6) Do not allow the stairs to be a collecting place for books, packages or other objects. Remove them immediately to prevent someone from tripping over them.

7) Be sure that single steps are visible. Single steps are often overlooked but many people trip on them frequently.