Safety at Home test

The purpose of the test is to survey the housing environment. It can be personally completed or on behalf of someone else. In the background details, please fill in the details of the person whose apartment the test is carried out on. The test collects postal code details in order to obtain an overall understanding of the regions’ residential safety levels. If you are concerned, on the basis of the test or otherwise, about the safety of a family member or relative, please contact Eksote/service centre in the South Karelian area TEL. 053522370 MON-FRI 9 am - 3 pm, isoapu.palvelukeskus@eksote.fi

You can also download and print the form here.

 

Background details of the resident to be assessed
Number of belongings outside the apartment
A fire often starts on the outside of a building. Easily flammable material forms a risk of fire and it is therefore prohibited to be stored in the vicinity of the apartment. Easily flammable materials include, for example, piles of firewood, boats and building materials.
Accessibility in the yard area
The slippery or obstructed access routes of a yard area cause a risk of falling or a risk of accidents. In a safe yard area, the access routes are easily accessible and they are salted during the winter. The lighting is sufficient. Studded shoes are used, if necessary.
Emergency exit safety
It must always be possible to exit all of the apartment’s premises without obstruction. Exiting must also be possible in the dark and without the use of keys. There must be at least two exit routes at detached houses and terraced houses. A balcony is accepted as a second exit in apartment buildings. During a fire, there is only a few minutes of time to exit. Ensuring that exiting is unobstructed saves human lives and reduces the risk of getting hurt.
4. Amount of belongings in the apartment
A large number of belongings in an apartment increases the risk of fire as well as the risk of falling and slipping over. The piling of flammable materials at home (for example, cardboard, newspapers, clothes, mattresses and pillows) is particularly dangerous. 

Check one room of the apartment at a time, for example:
• kitchen 
• lounge 
• bedroom
• sauna
• boiler room/technical space
• storage room
• other premises
Handling fire
The majority of apartment fires are related to the misuse of open fire, fireplaces and electrical devices, careless smoking, high consumption of alcohol or kitchen activities.
Functionality and use of electrical devices
In Finland, more than one thousand building fires occur and their cause is electricity. An electricity fire usually shows signs in advance and will smoulder for some time before beginning to burn. A fire may be preceded by unusual operation of an electrical device (for example, the repeated interruption of a washing machine’s programme, a buzzing heard from a light, unusual sounds heard from a device, dark spots or a bad smell.) Flickering or dimming lights are also signs that there is a fault in the operation of the electrical device.
A foreign object, dust or moisture in an electrical device may cause a fire. Electrical devices (for example, fridge, freezer and washing machine) and their backgrounds must be regularly inspected and cleaned.
Other issues affecting safety
The apartment must have at least one functional fire alarm per 60m² of each floor. The best level of safety is achieved when the fire alarm is installed at the centre of the ceiling in each room (except the kitchen and washrooms). The instructions provided by the manufacturer are observed in the placement of the alarm.

The fire alarm is inspected by pressing the test button on the cover of the alarm for approximately five seconds. A working fire alarm will then let out an alarm sound. The alarm sound will end when the test button is released. When you acquire a fire alarm, use e.g. a felt tip pen to mark the purchase date of the alarm on the back. If the fire alarm is more than 10 years old, it is recommended to be replaced. Ensure that the resident can hear the sound of the fire alarm.
Insufficient or poorly visible numbering of the house may significantly slow down the arrival of help in an emergency situation (e.g. ambulance or fire brigade). The numbering of the house must also be clearly visible in the dark. The apartments’ numbers must also be clearly visible.
Safety devices and other aids are recommended to be introduced, when support is needed in everyday activities. 

Safety devices include, for example
• a safety phone or safety bracelet which can be used to alert help
• hob guard which ensures that the hob plates are not forgotten on
• a timed coffee machine which automatically turns the machine off after a certain time
• a reminding medication dispenser
Memory disorders and physical disabilities can make alerting help more difficult. Alerting help usually requires a phone to be available and that it can be used. In addition to a phone, other safety devices such as safety phones and bracelets can also provide support.
It must always be possible to exit all of the apartment’s premises without obstruction. Exiting must also be possible in the dark and without the use of keys. The resident’s physical capacity also affects exiting.
The support of the nearby environment and various services may play a significant role in coping with everyday life and safety. 

Whose visits is the resident’s safety and wellbeing dependent on? Who visits the home to ensure and produce services that enable living at home? Are the support network and services sufficient?
For example
• Family members
• Eksote (home care)
• Private service provider (for example, cleaning service, taxi service, care service…)
• Organisation
• Church
• Neighbours or other relatives
• Other operator
The resident’s ability to cope with everyday life and safety may weaken significantly in case of an interruption, for example, as the result of a wide-scale power cut or storm. In case of interruptions, services may be delayed or completely cancelled.
Housing health
Toilet issues related to housing health. Coping with these issues can become more difficult, when everyday life is not managed in the familiar manner. Good toilet conditions enable the functionality and safety of everyday life.
Housing health also involves good and safe opportunities for washing.
Clean domestic water is also part of housing health. Clean and healthy water must be easily available for drinking and potential cooking.
The cleaning of the apartment affects both safety and comfortability. Accessibility in a tidy apartment is easy and the risks of accidents and health are reduced. A tidy apartment also provides a clear mind.
Good and safe housing includes a sufficiently warm apartment. If wood heating is used, carrying firewood and heating the apartment should take place safely.