Halloween can be a holiday full of festivities, fun and costumes if you follow a few tips to ensure safety and protect your home from liability. Don’t allow the risk of a homeowners insurance claim to spoil the fun.

Whether you will be hosting a party or welcoming trick-or-treaters, opening your property to the public can leave you vulnerable to insurance claims and lawsuits.

The following 10 Tips will assure Halloween home safety...

• Create a Clear Path – Keep the area around your home clear of obstructions so that visitors don’t stumble and injure themselves.  Especially at Halloween, clear away lawn ornaments, gardening equipment, toys, etc. to help avoid a liability.
• Confine Your Pets – For the safety of your pets and your guests, keep dogs and cats away from the front porch or areas where they might jump on or even bit unfamiliar visitors.
• Keep the Lights On – Be sure that trick-or-treaters and other visitors are able to see clearly after dark to avoid falls and other injuries on your property.  You will not only help avoid a liability claim, but you’ll deter burglars who are always less inclined to approach a well-lit home.
• Avoid Open Flames – While candles and luminaries set the spooky mood on Halloween, they can easily be overturned and result in homeowners insurance claims for fire damage.  Consider light sticks and battery-powered lanterns instead.
• Jack-o-Lantern Safety – Unattended Jack-o-Lanterns lit by candles can easily be tipped over by trick-or-treaters or pets. Avoid fire damage claims by using a battery-powered light in your pumpkin.
• Supervise Pumpkin Carving – Enjoy the fun but assure home safety by having an adult or supervised older child carve the pumpkin this Halloween.  Better still, use a special pumpkin cutter for extra safety.
• Think Before You Serve – You are responsible for the safety of guests who will visit your home this Halloween.  Offer only commercially-packaged treats to trick-or-treaters.  Likewise, be sure to serve non-alcoholic beverages to your older party guests and never serve alcohol to anyone who is under-age.  If you are setting the mood at your party by using dry ice in a punchbowl, be sure to keep the chips out since they can cause severe injury if ingested.
• Assure Home Security – If you will be away from home during Halloween, don’t forget to set your security alarm system before you go. This is a prime time of year for mischief and burglaries.  So be sure to also activate motion-sensitive lights and alert your neighbors that you will be away.
• Test Your Home Smoke Alarms – While you are testing your home security system, don’t forget to test your smoke alarms well in advance of the Halloween celebrations to minimize the chance of having a claim for fire damage.
• Check Your Homeowners Insurance – Take a moment to speak with your insurance agent to be sure you will be fully protected for whatever plans you have for the Halloween Holiday.  The time to find out that your coverage is incomplete is NOT after you have a claim.

Food cooked outdoors, especially on a propane or charcoal grill in the backyard has a special appeal.  But grilling outdoors can be dangerous, even deadly, unless you take precautions.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2003 and 2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 7900 home fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues – each year.  Of these fires,  about 2900 per year resulted in structure fires.  On average per year, these fires claimed ten deaths and 120 injuries, and they resulted in annual property damage of $80 million. 

Nevertheless, Americans enjoy more than three billion barbecues each year; and, if you are like most Americans, you too enjoy summer grilling.  So, the following are some of the most important safety tips to assure that your barbecue is risk-free, whether you use a gas or charcoal grill. 

Place your grill on a level surface at least ten feet away from all other objects including structures like your house, garage, etc.; and stay clear of landscaping and traffic areas.

When grilling is complete, be sure to keep children and pets well away from the grill until it has completely cooled. 

Never grill in an enclosed space including homes, vehicles, tents, campers, garages, etc.  This can be a deadly risk both for fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Use only long-handled grilling tools and wear dry oven mitts that cover your forearm to avoid burns when cooking. 

After grilling with charcoal, soak the coals with water and store in a metal container for disposal. 

After cooking on a gas grill, turn off BOTH the grill and the propane bottle. 

MORE INFORMATION

• Learn the proper use and care of the gas grill (Video: National Fire Protection Association).
• Get the NFPA Grilling Safety Tip Sheet (PDF)

When summer temperatures soar, many people beat the heat in their backyard swimming pool.  In fact, having a residential swimming pool is more popular than ever before with over 8 million  households owning a pool, according to the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals. 

But all swimming pools – from the luxury in-ground variety to the simplest inflatable wading pool – can present a danger, especially to children.

Swimming Pool Safety Tips

The following safety rules will prevent accidents and decrease your potential liability exposure:

• Install a fence at least 4 feet high around the entire pool area with a gate that latches and locks.  Never leave furniture or other items close enough to the fence to allow children to climb over.  Pool alarms and safety covers add extra protection. 
• The powerful suction of a pool drain can trap a child under water.  Cover your drain with a safety guard, tie up long hair before swimming, and teach children to stay away from drains and filters.  In particular, teach them never to sit on a pool drain. 
• Post emergency numbers and CPR instructions in the pool area. Store a first aid kit, a cordless water-resistant phone, reaching poles and ring buoys near the pool area to be used in case of emergency; and do not allow children to play with these items. 
• Consider having older teens and adults take a course in basic first aid and CPR, and enroll your family’s non-swimmers in swimming lessons with a certified instructor.  Anyone who is not a good swimmer should wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life vest while in your pool. 
• Adults should not swim alone, and children should never swim without an adult present and watching them constantly. 
• Keep the pool area clear of glass items, electrical devices (radios, CD players, etc.), and obstacles that could cause a fall or other injury.
• Empty wading pools completely after each use, and always store them upside-down to avoid collection of rain water.

Insurance and Liability Issues

If you are planning to install a pool at your residence, it is important to consider the insurance implications as well as the safety issues.  The Insurance Institute recommends the following:

• Contact your town or municipality since the definition of a pool which drives local building codes and safety standards will vary from town to town. You will want to have this information before you purchase the pool. 
• Installing a pool will also increase your insurance liability risk.  So contact your insurance agent to be sure your homeowners policy provides enough additional liability coverage.  If your pool will be costly, this may mean you will have to increase your coverage to protect your pool, should a storm or other disaster destroy or damage it.