40 Basic Safety Tips Everyone Should Know

The world may not be a safe as we'd like, but we can get the tools to stay safer.

Kylin

• Published in Interesting
• February 18, 2022

It’s no secret that the world isn’t a perfect utopia with rainbows and unicorns. But on the flip side, the world is not moments away from disaster as some newscasters try to tell you.

Regardless of the state of the world, most would agree that our own personal safety and the safety of our loved ones are a top priority. While we shouldn’t live in fear about something terrible happening, it’s realistic to know that accidents happen, and bad people exist.

So, when someone offers up some advice on how to stay safe, it may be worthwhile to store that little info-nugget in the back of your mind. Not to obsess over the “what-if,” but to have the knowledge on hand if necessary.

In this vein, Redditor u/directinLA posed the question in the popular subreddit, r/AskReddit: “What is a safety tip everyone should know about?” And of course, Redditors were more than happy to share their wisdom.

Users covered topics like fire safety, water safety, gun safety, and even to talk a friend out of making dangerous decisions. From well-known safety tips to surprisingly clever ones, we’ve collected the top 40 safety tips for your enjoyment.

Keep scrolling and see what you might learn.

"What is a safety tip everyone should know about?"

1. Best to take them at their word

Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative at the same time.

LusciousLennyStone

2. Listen to your instincts

The really bad people who want to do really bad things look for weakness. They test and probe.

It's awful that the best we can hope for is that we avoid what some other person might be victimized with. But that's nature.

Pay attention to your surroundings. Watch to see if anyone is watching you. Any stranger that offers you something or has a question that doesn't feel right, that's the moment to keep yourself vigilant. Don't put on a false front, but don't be weak. Have good body posture. Speak clearly. Use short simple statements, and be rude if you have to. No thanks, I'm good, or firmer if you think it's necessary.

Don't let anyone stop you from walking.

No is a full sentence.

If they get physical, fuck, if they even touch you, scream and yell and don't let them get you away from the public area, away from light and people. We often have the impulse to not make a scene- fuck that. Make the biggest fuss you've ever made.

Learn to listen to your instincts and intuition. They aren't always right, so you should evaluate them, and then proceed.

BeardsuptheWazoo

3. Not worth it

Nobody wins in a street fight.

Jellybean720

4. Mugging prevention

When walking down the street with a one-shoulder bag, keep it on the building side of your body — not the side on which people pass you. It makes the bag harder to slash/snatch.

If asked for the time on the street, don't check your phone. Check your watch, but do so by lifting your wrist to within your field of view - don't look down at your wrist. If you don't have a watch, then say you don't know the time.

Be cautious if a person asks you to look at something, like "that car behind you".

Collectively these tips will help avoid some basic mugging tricks.

ByEthanFox

5. How to be safe around open water

Around any body of water:

- Feet first first time - never dive unless you know how deep the water is.

- Drowning looks like climbing a ladder, and it's silent.

- If you get into a dangerous current swim perpendicular to it.

- If you're in water over your head, or in a dangerous current, flip, float, and follow.

tremynci

6. How to preserve emergency drinking water

Oh I have a really good one. In the event of a disaster, such as earthquake or flood, The drinking water system frequently becomes contaminated.

Therefore you need to shut off the intake valve to your water heater.

Then your water heater becomes an emergency drinking water tank.

thedrakeequator

7. Do not mix

NEVER mix cleaning products.

jtho78

8. Tips straight from a Firefigther

Firefighter here;

Sleep with your doors shut at night (helps prevent fire spread/smoke inhalation)

Be able to crawl, blindfolded, out of every room in your house.

Make sure everyone in your home knows what to do in the event of a fire. Where to meet afterwards, etc.

If you have kids, explain to them that firefighters may look ‘scary’ in full turnout gear, but they can not be afraid of us.

Friendly reminder while I have your attention; check the batteries in your smoke detector. They truly are life savers.

CharlieMike12

9. Safety gear was designed for a reason

Wear safety glasses when working. Wear safety gloves when working. Wear safety boots when working. Do not make excuses — one mistake can cost you your finger, eye, toe

bstefanovic

10. Better to correct a friend than not

“It is better to correct an unsafe friend than to bury one”

LamarB

11. Eliminate minor unsafe acts, lessen serious injuries

There's a principal in safety called Heinrich's Pyramid, and while the precise numbers are open for debate, the general principal is that after a certain number of unsafe acts you will have a serious injury or fatality. This is typically used for workplace safety, but the point is, every time you decide that you don't need that piece of safety equipment, or you can skip that one step even though the book says to do it, you're ticking down the clock until a serious accident happens. In Heinrich's original, he posited that for each serious accident (major injury/fatality), there would be about 30 accidents with minor injury, and 300 unsafe acts. So eliminate those minor unsafe acts, shortcuts etc, and significantly reduce or eliminate the corresponding number of serious accidents.

DJLowZ

12. Shop safety

Worked in a CNC machine shop I was told the top 3 rules were

Know where the emergency stop button is on every machine

If you wouldn't touch it with your dick don't touch it with your finger

If something falls it hits the floor (don't try to catch anything falling)

theunknowngoat

13. What to do if you're being followed

if your being followed (Car or walking) dont go home, rather head toward the nearest police station and park/sit there for a bit.

also craigslist deals can be done in police parking lots, it can be a bit awkward asking someone to meet there to sell you their old ps4 but if they are honest then they will have no reason not to.

oti95

14. Keep folks safe while cooking

When boiling a pot of water, turn the handle inwards towards the center of the stove / counter. That way somebody (especially a kid) won’t come by and knock it over or grab it and pull it over on themselves.

Actuaryba

15. Run, don't fight

If you're confronted, it's far better to run away if at all possible rather than try to fight your attacker. Even if you think you are a badass.

Hokusai135

16. Gun safety

If you ever find yourself in possession of a firearm:

1. All guns are loaded, even if you just unloaded it.

2. Do not point the gun at anything you’re not willing to shoot kill/destroy.

3. Do not put your finger on the trigger unless you are trying to fire the weapon at that moment.

gumboandgrits21

17. Don't worry about being rude

For women especially. If someone is making you uncomfortable or just giving off weird/creepy vibes, you never should worry about being "rude." You don't have to be nice/polite, your safety comes first.

PurpleDreamer28

18. Transitional spaces can be dangerous

You're more likely to be attacked in a transitional space. Going into and out of buildings, cars, and especially between the two. You let your guard down because you're thinking about what you're going to do when you get there, not what you're doing right now, and not what's going on around you. Stay alert, stay safe.

pevip6

19. Downed power lines can kill

As a life long Floridian, I see this all the time here, and else where in the news. In the event of a disaster, stay the fuck away from downed power lines!! Don’t walk along the street with them, don’t drive your car over them, don’t take selfies with them. They’re thunder noodles and have been known to kill.

kowog1

20. Keep your feet down

If you are the passenger, never put your feet on the dash. With or without airbags, don’t do it. Level 1 trauma hospital worker here. Seen a fatality of a passenger who had their legs on the dash during the collision. It literally shoved their (broken) leg back into them and their own leg bone (shard) pierced their chest cavity and heart.

xray_anonymous

21. Dress appropriately for the weather, no matter what

In these cold times. Don’t drive wearing anything you couldn’t walk a half mile in.

46692

22. Keep pedals clear

Do NOT put objects in the driver's foot space. Even things as small as a tennis ball. It's very unsafe for the driver.

AvianDragon_Minokawa

23. Walk against traffic

Walk against traffic so you can see what’s coming, not with your back to it!

Redjet4

24. Be gross

Be gross if you’re being kidnapped. Men don’t like gross girls. Force yourself to throw up, rip your hair out, pee yourself or defecate. Try to fight back and scratch as hard as you can. Leaving physical evidence everywhere at the very least helps identify your body and get him prosecuted for the crime. Not to be morbid but. If it looks like you’re about to die then make sure you leave as much evidence as you possibly can.

DoloresHaze7

25. How to safely merge around a semi

Don't merge back in front of a semi truck until you can see where its steer (front) tires meet the pavement, then keep going.

Truckers don't leave big gaps in front of themselves in traffic out of the kindness of their hearts. They do it because trucks are hard to stop even with powerful air brakes, and the kinetic energy in an 80,000 truck/load combo traveling at 65mph would turn you into a fine pink mist if they hit you.

WAY too many drivers don't know how to act around semis, at their mortal peril.

Source: am trucker

The206Uber

26. Protect your ears

Turn your music down. I promise you will not like tinnitus.

caananball

27. Be Bear Wise

One for knowing what to do when encountering bears:

When it’s brown, lie down. Brown bears are pretty aggressive. The first thing to do is put your arms above your head and stand as firm as possible to make yourself look big. When the brown bear is still coming to you, don’t run! Lie down, curled in a ball with you backpack still on; it’ll protect you. The bear will paw you, see that you’re no longer food and move along.

If it’s black, fight back. Black bears are less aggressive and can easily be fought back. Just like with brown bears, make yourself look as big as you possibly can. It’ll see you as a threat and move away.

If it’s white, say goodnight. Polar bears are the biggest species of bears on earth. If you’re running away from one, throw your pack to the side; polar bears have a short attention span and will go to the parcel you threw to the side. If that doesn’t work, and the polar bear is still gaining on you, there’s unfortunately nothing left but to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior because it’ll un-alive you in minutes.

Fast_Enthusiasm_6655

28. Fire prevention

Never plug in space heaters to power strips! ALWAYS plug them directly into wall outlets. This is one of the most common fire starters in home fires.

poshquail

29. Sharp tools are safer

Sharp tools are safer and easier to control than dull ones. This goes for basically anything with a blade, whether it’s a saw blade, utility knife, chisel, or simple kitchen knife. You’re more likely to slip, lose control, or kickback with a dull blade.

Djdubbs

30. Petting a tiger would be 100% the way I'd go

No matter how cute the wild animal is...don't approach it! It's NOT worth it!

philistine-slayer

31. Keep an eye on your moles

If you have a skin mole that has blurry edges, isn't symmetrical, is a weird shade of red, weeps fluids, or acts like an open wound that won't heal, you might have skin cancer. Go to a doctor IMMEDIATELY. Melanoma kills fast.

vivav5

32. Make sure a horse knows you're there

Never EVER sneak up behind a horse, EVER

VeeSquibbles

33. Check dangerous spots first

If your child goes missing in your home, first check any spots that would be dangerous for them to be (near water heaters, sump pumps etc…) then check their common hiding spots.

CthulhuBae1111

34. Not everyone in uniform are safe

Uniforms (especially of high function, such as doctors, fireman, army...) can trick your mind. Just because someone wear one doesn't mean they are kind and safe, and can't hurt you. Even if it's a real one or during work hour/on duty.

Memetastikk

35. Hypothermia clouds your judgment

If you have been on the fence for a while about being too cold to continue, in a backcountry situation, you are already too cold. Immediately make emergency efforts to get warm. Being hypothermic severely clouds your judgement.

latolat2

36. Clear out your dryer trap every load

Check and clean out the lint collector in your dryer regularly.

Whig_Party

37. What to do if someone is having a stroke

F.A.S.T. For strokes.

F = Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?

A = Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S = Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred?

T = Time to call 911

pihip2

38. If you have the capacity, take charge

Don't say, 'Someone call an ambulance.' Do it yourself, or directly tell one person to do it.

Don't move someone injured unless there is an imminent danger to the victim.

Puncture wounds, the puncture object acts as a cork, leave it in until medics arrive and let them deal with it.

Learn cpr for adults and children, the same goes for choking techniques like heimlich.

nobenap5

39. Don't try to catch a knife

A falling knife has no handle.

Billbapoker

40. Rabies are no joke

If you get bitten by an animal that you even think is rabid get vaccinated RIGHT AWAY.

Rabies is a brutal way to go out and if you miss your window there’s not much nothing that can be done.

a_clown_with_a_piano

Threads like this really highlight the importance of community. Whether that community is in person or on the internet.

We thrive with the support and well-meaning advice of others. Without some sort of community, we would be left floundering, or worse.

With the community in mind, share these helpful tips with your friends and family.

Kylin