Disasters Are Just Waiting To Happen . . .
Posted: Sunday, December 25, 2011
by Octavia Hansen
Octavia Hansen
I'd love to be an optimist but reality rears its ugly head. Disasters are out there, some are funny -- like what shows up on comedy video programs, some can be dangerous or deadly. Local, personal disasters are sometimes referred to as "Freak Accidents," -- something that could have been guarded against with a little forethought. Then again, hind sight is always twenty-twenty vision.
Knife in the water. This phrase comes down through time, meaning something lurking where you cannot see it -- ready to do harm. You'd think after so many years, people would catch on to this particular injury, be careful about enough over a long period of time, and it would fall into historical myth. But no. Don't put kitchen knives into a sink full of opaque dishwater, the combination of water weakening your skin and a sharp knife blade were you can't see it, probably in warm or hot water, is the way Romans used to commit suicide. Their actual term was to 'open a vein,' usually in a bath, but your kitchen sink can do the same thing. You won't feel the cut very much, but you can lose a lot of blood. Save the knives for last, wash separately and always be aware of the blade.
Heavy items above your head. I've actually seen people do this and it NEVER comes out good. It used to be comical when a bowling ball would fall on someone in an old movie or television sit-com. Now it's realized how deadly or permanently damaging anything hitting a head or body part can be. Heavy items people have injured or killed themselves with include such things as computer monitors (the old ones that weight a ton), boxes of dishes, coin collections, stacks of vinyl records, canned goods, exercise equipment, movie projectors and anything else that should have stayed on the floor. If it's hard to lift, don't put it up high.
Frayed wires. The obvious isn't so obvious. Frayed wires can be on older appliances, under rugs, once-a-year Xmas lights, heavily used extension cords. Faulty wires can shock you and/or start a fire. Most fires start with electricity, not matches. Think about it -- replacing an appliance will always be cheaper than cleaning up after a fire.
Smoke alarm batteries. Most people never think about their smoke alarms. Much like a cross over a bed, people think just having a plastic disk on the ceiling is all they will ever need for protection.
Poor lighting. Anytime you can't see your feet or what's around you, you are courting disaster. Stairs are the worst -- you can fall going up just as well as you can fall going down, because you can't see where you are going. Outside lighting has been proven to cut down on crime and even animals don't like to hang around a lighted area. Don't have great lighting? It's easy, there are clip lights, button lights and you can always carry a flash light.
Electric cord not bundled. Carrying or storing anything with a dangling electrical cord is trouble. A lose cord can catch on anything -- your foot, a door knob, other furniture -- either jerking the item out of your hands or worse, causing you to trip and fall. An appliance, stored away with a loose cord will always drag something down with it, usually on top of you. Velcro ties are easy to find and use, a twist wire from trash bags or even a lenth of cello tape wrapped around the wire can save you from any future problems.
There is always something waiting to hit you, make you slip, cut you or squash you. At least make it a bit more difficult if you are going to be done in by your own universe or karma. Everyone is supposed to have about an eighty year life span . . . don't check out early doing something stupid when you can be a thorn in everyone's side for a whole lot longer!
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