Top hardware products for home safety

National Hardware Show’s Industry Edge came out with tips on how homeowners can safeguard their homes from damage and avoid injuries. Here are the hardware products that are deemed very useful:

• Fire extinguishers and smoke sensors - Disposable and garage fire extinguishers help put out fire conveniently. These are easy to access and store. Timely action is also important in reducing damages to the home. For this, smoke sensors are also ‘hot’ for these allow homeowners to act immediately before fire razes the house or even save lives.

Industry Edge’s article stated findings from the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts 2015 report, citing that there were approximately 93,200 accidental injury-related deaths that happened within the home and in public places.

• Firebricks - As fires usually originate from fireplaces and chimneys, these bricks can reduce fire by slowing down the buildup of creosote, a combustible material.

• Handheld spotlights or lamps and flashlights - Coupled with first-aid supplies, batteries and multitools, these help complete disaster preparedness kits. These are essential in natural disasters that homeowners might face throughout the year. In fact, it was stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that 45 major disasters occurred in 2014, including heavy storms, earthquakes and wildfires.

• Grab bars, nonslip flooring - These products are suitable for making homes safer for aging homeowners. It was stated that in 2013, 25,000 older adults died from fall injuries and 2.5 million suffered from nonfatal falls, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.