Most people tend to look at their bathroom as a retreat away from the world. They never, for one second, consider that this room can be extremely dangerous at times. A recent study showed that one of the singlest biggest gaps in most home safety plans was the bathroom. Look at the bathroom itself. When you're in there you're surrounded by water, slippery tiles and hard ceramic surfaces. These could quite easily cause injury were you to fall against them. Believe it or not you're more likely to have an accident in your bathroom than any other room in your home! Anybody who has slipped in their shower will be able to identify with this fact. The overall lack of safety awareness in most homes means that many bathrooms are accidents just waiting to happen.
Your bathroom is filled with water - it's everywhere in the room - from the sink to the bath tub or shower. Walking on or around water in your bare feet increases the risk of injury 100%. It's amazing how many people won't user a shower mat or slippers while walking around on soap and water. Many of the latest bath and shower units do come with specially etched floors which are designed to prevent slippage. That being said there's absolutely no harm in having a bath or shower mat present also. If you're not taking precautions then you're taking risks. Sadly people are fatally injured in bathroom falls each and every day. Prevent yourself from becoming a statistic!
Now it's time to look at the bathroom floor itself. What type of surface is it? If the bathroom has tiles on the floor then make sure that either they're non-slip tiles or that they're coated with something to prevent you from slipping and falling. If you can't find something to coat them with then make sure you use rubber-backed bathroom rugs to cover the main areas of the floor - especially near the sink itself. There's always the options of recovering the bathroom floor with perhaps a tough industrial carpet (not very attractive but you won't slip on it) or replacing those slippery tiles with another type that are designed for bathrooms. Many people just use normal wall tiles on bathroom floors - this is incredibly dangerous! Your local home decor or DIY store will be able to offer lots of advice on this subject.
Now finally look at the various fixtures and fittings that are dotted around the bathroom. There are shelves, cabinets, nozzles, faucets and furniture items all around the room. The vast majority of bathrooms are designed with form and aesthetics as opposed to functionality and safety. You'll notice faucets with pointed eges, mirrors with no surround or shatterproof coating etc. These fixtures in bathrooms are the ones most often responsible for head injuries and are therefore one of the single biggest concerns that you need to address in your new drive for bathroom safety.
Why neglect safety in your bathroom when you'd never dream of neglecting it in any other family room? It's only when you open your eyes to the possible dangers present that they really do become clear. Hopefully the above has given you something to think about in this regard.
By: Niall Roche