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Fall Safety Tips

Autumn is a busy and beautiful time of year. Following are some safety tips to think about as you make sure your home is safe and ready for the coming winter season.

1. During cold weather, your furnace will likely be running and your windows will be closed. Installing a carbon monoxide detector near your home’s bedrooms will help you detect this deadly gas if it were to build up in your home.
2. Before the heating season, a qualified heating technician should service your furnace to ensure that it will operate safely and efficiently. Spiders can build webs in pilot lights and debris can collect, not only making your furnace unsafe but also to operate inefficiently
3. Inspect your chimney to make sure it is unobstructed. Because many furnaces vent into the chimney, it must be free of debris to allow products of combustion to vent to the outside atmosphere. If you will be burning wood in a fireplace, have the chimney inspected to make sure it is in good condition and free of creosote buildup.
4. Make sure the area around your furnace is clear for good air circulation. Keep all flammable materials, such as clothing, cardboard boxes, paint thinners, fuels and solvents, a safe distance from the furnace.
5. On chilly autumn mornings, avoid the temptation to warm the kitchen with a gas range or an open oven door.
6. Be cautious with portable heaters or space heaters, making sure to follow manufacturer instructions for safe venting and use. Never leave them operating when you are away from the room or asleep. Don't leave children or pets unattended with space heaters, and never use them to dry clothing, shoes or mittens.
7. When cleaning gutters, installing storm windows, picking apples, or harvesting fall crops, avoid overhead power lines. Before you work, look up from your work area to inspect for overhead power lines. Then make sure to stay clear of electrical lines when working with ladders, pruning poles, tractors, grain augers, equipment with antennas, etc. Call the utility company if you need to have your service temporarily disconnected while you work near the electrical lines. It’s free and it’s the best way to be safe.
8. If your tractor or other moving equipment contacts an overhead power line, stay on the vehicle. Call (or have someone call) Mt. Carmel Public Utility Co. immediately to remove the danger. Stepping away from the vehicle can cause you to become the path for the electricity to follow and result in electrocution.
9. Anytime you plan to dig, whether as part of a construction job or homeowner project (such as putting up a fence or basketball hoop, planting trees or shrubs, installing a pool, building a home addition, deck, etc.) Illinois law requires you to call J.U.L.I.E. (1-800-892-0123) before you dig. You can also visit the J.U.L.I.E website here. It’s smart. It’s free. And it’s the law.
10. As days grow short, make sure outdoor lighting is in good working order. Good lighting can not only protect you against falls and accidents, but also from crime. Inspect fixtures and outlets for weather damage and replace burnt-out bulbs.