Oxygen is a well-known fire hazard. It saturates clothing, hair, and bedding. That makes it easier for fires to start and spread. Here are some home oxygen safety tips to keep your home and family safe:
- Keep oxygen canisters at least 5-10 feet away from gas stoves, lighted fireplaces, wood stoves, candles, or other sources of open flames.
- Post “No Smoking” signs in every room of your home where you use oxygen. And, make sure nobody smokes around you when you’re using oxygen.
- Secure your oxygen cylinders so they can’t be knocked over.
- Be careful with oxygen tubing. Make sure you don’t trip over it or tangle it in furniture.
- Don’t use an electric razor while using oxygen.
- Do not use any oil, grease, or petroleum-based products on your equipment, or nearby while using oxygen.
- Use water-based creams and lotions on your face, neck, and chest.
- Keep your equipment supplier’s contact information by your phone. Follow their guidelines for safety checks. And, never try to fix broken equipment yourself.
- Check your smoke detectors every month. Make sure they have fresh batteries.
- Keep a fire extinguisher in the house, and practice what to do if there’s a fire.
- Notify your local fire department, gas and electric companies, and telephone companies when you start using home oxygen therapy. You can request a “priority service listing” in case of power outages or when you need repairs.
Following these home oxygen safety tips should give you peace of mind about using supplemental oxygen at home. If you’d like to learn more, the American Lung Association has additional safety information.
For more in-depth information on this topic, please visit the Big Fat Reference Guide (BFRG). If you are enrolled in AlphaNet’s Subscriber Portal, you can access the BFRG here.
Download Home Oxygen Safety Tips as a PDF.
