Driven by a passion to ensure that people’s homes are safe from accidental injuries, loss of lives and property damage, Augustine G. Okoroafor, recently came out with the book, Home Safety.
The book is a product of the author’s wealth of experience as the Head of the Safety, Health and Environmental Department, Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc.

As an excellent guideline for keeping homes safe from accidents, the book provides general information on safety measures for disaster prevention.

According to the author, domestic accidents account for a significant number of the fatalities and serious accidents that occur in one’s daily living due to inadequate knowledge, insufficient instructions, unfamiliar environmental conditions and poor communications on safety.

Believing then that safety is important to life, the author notes that it is when one is alive and physically fit, that he/she can aspire to greater heights. Okoroafor takes time to list out these safety measures in 27 chapters beginning with the Meaning of home safety.

There is high degree of risks resulting from hazards. Experiences had shone that many home accidents had in the past wiped out an entire family members as a result of fire outbreaks or inhalation of poisonous fumes such as carbon monoxide. The book provides family fire drills where a family could map out fire escape route especially, from the bedrooms. It warns s readers not to rely totally on using stairways for exits because they are usually the first to be flooded with smoke and heat. For precaution, a rope ladder could be stored in the bedroom upstairs. In times of emergency, it could be dropped out in a few seconds for escape.

Also wrappers or bed-sheets could be tied together for the same purpose.
The book states how gasoline (petrol) is dangerous if not handled properly. It warns against its careless usage and storage. Also, the book reminds all that harmful substances such as camphor, rat poisons, bleach, dish cleaners should be kept safely in a labeled container and locked up in a cabinet, away from the reach of children.

All the minor or petty safety precautions that people often overlook are addressed in this book. To avoid economic losses, physical and emotional trauma that result from home accidents, the author advocates that the key element of safety is the commitment to doing things right and paying attention to details.
The basics of safety tips listed out in the book are: finding and eliminating safety hazards, being safety conscious at all times and knowing what to do in an emergency which all depend on the combination of one’s attitudes and actions. Some of the questions one needs to ask oneself are: In my home, is this item necessary? Does it belong here or not? Is it use able? What is it for? Where should it be kept?
Things to avoid in the home are: clustered and poorly arranged equipment, untidy piling of materials, excessive quantity of items and overcrowded storage areas and shelves.

From the glossy cover to the inner pages, every piece of information provided is useful.
The discourse in each chapter is brief but informative. It is didactic and very revealing. It is not cumbersome to read or to understand. This is because the author did not bore his readers with verbose essay or repetition of ideas but goes straight to state safety precautions or solutions to every identified domestic accident be it fire, fall, fumes, cuts, injuries, poisoning etc. English Language is properly used. The paper is of high quality. There are drawings, illustrations and pictures for effective.
Also some pieces of important information are highlighted and enclosed in a box at the end of some chapters.

There are also briefs that help readers to remember some key lessons. Example of such are; invest in tomorrow…be safe today, knowing what to do in an emergency can help save your life and the lives of your loved ones, recharge the extinguisher immediately after use, good housekeeping makes for better use of available space in your home and reduces the risk of accidents and fire hazards, make your home a safe place for children...not a danger zone, elderly and people with disabilities need assistance…show them love and care, do not let this happen to you, engage the brain before hand, you can make a happy etc.

The book, which is billed for launch today at The MUSON Centre, Lagos is a veritable material for every home and is handy in case of emergencies.

Augustine G. Okoroafor is a Loss Prevention Consultant in the petroleum, manufacturing and construction industries. He has background in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration. He had several professional development trainings overseas. Presently the Director/CEO of Geostin Safety Consult (Nig), Managing Limited, Okoroafor was formerly the head, Safety, Health and Environmental Department of Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc before retirement after 25 years of service.