14 Home Safety Essentials for Minnesota Homeowners

Fires are one of the leading threats to any home. When a fire breaks out, a working smoke detector can save lives. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):

• Roughly three out of five fire fatalities happen in homes with no working smoke alarms.
• If a home has working smoke alarms, the risk of dying in a fire is cut in half.

Minnesota law requires smoke detectors on every level of the home, including the basement, and within 10 feet of every sleeping area. If your home still uses battery-powered units, consider upgrading to interconnected detectors with sealed 10-year lithium batteries. With interconnected alarms, when one triggers, all of them sound, giving everyone in the home more time to react

Carbon monoxide is a silent threat in many Minnesota homes. This gas is colorless and odorless, and its early symptoms are easy to overlook. By the time most people realize something is wrong, exposure may already be severe. Winter is especially dangerous, since furnaces, boilers, and fires are all common sources of carbon monoxide. Homes are also more likely to be sealed up tight to keep out the cold.

Minnesota law requires carbon monoxide detectors within 10 feet of every sleeping area in all residences. Combined smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are also a common option. This approach gives you fewer devices to test and replace, which makes it easier to stay on top of maintenance.

Most home fires start small. A fire extinguisher can limit the spread of a fire, but only if you have the right one on hand. For most homes, a multi-purpose ABC-rated dry chemical extinguisher is ideal. The ABC rating means it handles the three most common fire types:

• Ordinary combustibles like wood and paper
• Flammable liquids
• Electrical fires

A 5-pound unit is a practical size for most spaces. The kitchen is the most common place for home fires to start, which makes it an ideal spot. The garage is another high-risk area, particularly in Minnesota homes where gasoline, solvents, and other flammable materials tend to share space with cars and equipment.

Bonus Tip: Mount an extinguisher near an exit, not next to a stove or other heat source, so you can reach it without stepping toward the fire.

Minnesota's spring snowmelt and heavy summer rains can put serious pressure on basement drainage. A sump pump redirects groundwater away from the foundation before it can cause flooding or structural damage. However, most sump pumps only work when there’s power, and the storms most likely to overwhelm a sump pump are also the ones most likely to knock out electricity.

A battery backup system kicks in automatically when the primary pump loses power, giving your home continuous protection in the middle of a storm. For any home with a basement that is prone to water intrusion, this is a worthwhile investment.

Standard outlets near water are a serious hazard. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Shocks can occur if an outlet or plugged-in appliance gets wet. Accidentally touching an outlet with wet hands is also very dangerous.
A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet detects when electrical current is "escaping" through water or skin and shuts off power in a fraction of a second. In a wet environment, this could save a life. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI):

• Since GFCIs were first introduced in homes, electrocutions have dropped by 81%.
• If proper GFCI outlets were installed in all homes, roughly half of all current electrocutions could be prevented.

Since the 1970s, the National Electrical Code has required GFCI outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, laundry rooms, unfinished basements, and any outdoor outlet. That said, code requirements generally apply only to new construction, so many older homes still have standard outlets in high-risk spots. The ESFI estimates that as many as 43 million American homes lack GFCI protection.

If your bathroom or kitchen has outlets without small TEST and RESET buttons on the face, those outlets are likely not GFCIs and are worth upgrading. The outlets themselves cost between $15 and $40 each and are easily installed by a licensed electrician.

Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps up from the soil and can accumulate inside homes. Like carbon monoxide, it is colorless, odorless, and difficult for humans to detect. Long-term exposure damages lung tissue and is a leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.

Worse news: Minnesota is one of the highest-risk states in the country. The average indoor radon level in this state is more than three times the national average. More than 40% of Minnesota homes have radon levels that health officials consider dangerously high.

The only way to know if your home has a problem is to test for it. Short-term test kits are available at hardware stores for as little as $15 to $30. Long-term digital radon monitors provide continuous readings and a more accurate picture of your home's average radon level over time. If a test shows radon levels are too high, you may need to install a ventilation pipe and fan to draw radon out from under the home before it can accumulate indoors.

Stairs are a common cause of injury in homes, especially at night or in other low-light situations when it is easy to trip. People can misjudge a step’s depth or miss it entirely in the dark. Add in the disorientation of being tired or recently awakened, and the chances of a fall increase.

Adding lights to all staircases helps solve this. Plug-in motion-sensor nightlights are inexpensive and available at any hardware store. These lights activate automatically when they detect movement, which means they are on when you need them and off the rest of the time. For stairways, lighting at both the top and the bottom of the stairs is the safest approach, ensuring the entire staircase is visible from either direction.

Of course, steps and landings can still be dangerous at any time. Handrails and slip-resistant stair treads are two of the most effective ways to reduce that risk. A handrail gives you something to grip if you lose your footing. Slip-resistant treads with rubber strips, adhesive non-slip tape, or textured stair nosing can add traction to steps that have become worn or smooth over time. These upgrades are especially important for Minnesota homes with wooden basement stairs, which tend to be steep and are often overlooked until an accident happens.

The CDC reports that roughly 235,000 people are treated in emergency rooms each year for bathroom fall injuries. Roughly 80% of those falls happen while getting in or out of the tub or shower. The combination of wet surfaces, hard flooring, and the physical demands of bathing makes it a high-risk environment for people of all ages.

Non-slip mats inside the tub or shower and on the bathroom floor can be a simple and affordable solution. Grab bars provide more protection, giving you something to hold onto when stepping over the tub ledge, sitting down, or getting up. You can find one at almost any hardware store or home improvement center, and installation is straightforward enough for most homeowners.

Window screens are great for keeping insects out, but they are not strong enough to stop a child from falling through. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, more than 3,300 children are treated in U.S. emergency rooms each year for window fall injuries. Most falls happen from second-floor windows or higher, with children under five being at the greatest risk.

Window stops prevent a window from opening more than four inches, which is enough for ventilation but not enough for a small child to fall through. Window guards create a physical barrier across the opening, with bars spaced a few inches apart, similar to a safety gate. Both options are affordable and relatively easy to install.

Unlit driveways, walkways, and porches are trip hazards outside the home. A light that activates when you pull in or approach the door reduces that risk without requiring you to leave a light on. Motion-sensor lights also strengthen home security. Intruders rely on darkness, and a sudden burst of bright light can startle and scare them away.

For Minnesota homes, motion-sensor lights near the garage, front entry, and any side or back door are the highest-priority locations. LED floodlights with adjustable sensitivity and range are widely available, energy-efficient, and easy to maintain.

Video doorbells and exterior security cameras have become some of the most popular home security devices in America, and for good reason. Video doorbells let you see and speak with whoever is at your front door, whether you are home or not, which is useful for deterring porch pirates and keeping tabs on unexpected visitors. And when would-be criminals see a camera, they know that someone is watching.

Exterior cameras covering the garage, back door, and any other entry points add another layer of coverage. Most modern systems store footage in the cloud and send motion-triggered alerts to your phone, making it easy to know what is happening around your home in real time.

More than half of all burglaries involve forcible entry. Often, that means kicking, shouldering, or prying a door open. The first guard against this is a deadbolt. Deadbolts give your door sturdier protection against forced entry than a standard spring latch will.

However, even a deadbolt is only as strong as the frame around it. Most standard doors use a short strike plate with shallow screws. A single hard kick can split that frame and pull the plate free, deadbolt and all. Swapping in a reinforced strike plate secured with 3-inch screws is a cost-effective security upgrade available for any door.

For added protection, door reinforcement kits that wrap around the frame and jamb are also widely available and relatively easy to install.

Minor cuts, burns, and injuries are common at home. Having a properly supplied first aid kit on hand means you can treat many injuries quickly without a trip to urgent care. In more serious cases, a well-stocked kit can also help stabilize someone while waiting for emergency services to arrive.

The American Red Cross recommends keeping a kit on every level of the home and in every vehicle. A basic home kit should include:

• Adhesive bandages in multiple sizes
• Gauze pads and rolls
• Medical tape
• Antiseptic wipes
• Antibiotic ointment
• Tweezers and scissors
• Disposable gloves
• Pain medication
• Instant cold packs
• A first aid manual or instruction card

Pre-assembled kits are widely available at pharmacies and online, or you can build your own. Either way, check the contents periodically and replace anything that has expired or been used.

Adding these safety devices to your home can make life safer for you and your family. Most can be installed in an afternoon with a trip or two to the hardware store. All of them will help protect the lives you care about most.

Unfortunately, even with precautions, accidents still happen. If you or someone in your household has been injured at home due to a hazard that should have been addressed, SiebenCarey may be able to help. Our personal injury attorneys have represented injured Minnesotans and their families for over 70 years. Contact us today for a free consultation.