Home Safety Checklist: Find and Fix Fall Hazards

What it does

Check each hazard that is true in your home. We turn your answers into a printable fix list using the fixes in CDC's Check for Safety checklist. Fixing even one hazard is a real start, and it is fine to ask someone to help.

Stairs and steps (indoors and outdoors)Yes: Are there papers, shoes, books, or other objects on the stairs?Yes: Are some steps broken or uneven?Yes: Is there no light and light switch at the top and bottom of the stairs?Yes: Has a stairway light bulb burned out?Yes: Is the carpet on the steps loose or torn?Yes: Are the handrails loose or broken, or is there a handrail on only one side of the stairs?

FloorsYes: When you walk through a room, do you have to walk around furniture?Yes: Do you have throw rugs on the floor?Yes: Are there papers, shoes, books, or other objects on the floor?Yes: Do you have to walk over or around wires or cords, like lamp, telephone, or extension cords?

KitchenYes: Are the things you use often on high shelves?Yes: Is your step stool unsteady?

BedroomsYes: Is the light near the bed hard to reach?Yes: Is the path from your bed to the bathroom dark?

BathroomsYes: Is the tub or shower floor slippery?Yes: Do you need some support when you get in and out of the tub, or up from the toilet?

Read this first

It lists common hazards and CDC's recommended fix for each. It is not a full home assessment.

Ask someone to help with anything high, heavy, or electrical. Do not climb or reach where it feels unsafe.

Nothing you check is sent or saved. Print the list, or keep this page open while you go room to room.

About the evidence on this page

Review status: Claims source-checked
Last updated: September 21, 2026
Claims source-checked: September 21, 2026
Clinician review: None recorded. No physician or other licensed clinician has reviewed this page.

The hazards and fixes were read from CDC's Check for Safety document. The checks were prepared with AI assistance and the ratings are proposed, pending confirmation by a person.

Claims we checked

Moderate evidenceCDC's Check for Safety checklist lists common home hazards on stairs, floors, in the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms, with a recommended fix for each.Supportive guidance exists, with more limits or less consistency than a strong rating.This rating is proposed, pending confirmation by a person.Limits: We checked what CDC's document lists. We did not review studies on how much each fix helps. It is a checklist of common hazards, not a full home assessment.

Sources

Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults, CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2017)

Limitations

It lists common hazards, not a full home assessment.
We did not review studies on how much each fix helps.
Talk with a clinician if you have a health condition, symptoms, or restrictions.

Update history

September 21, 2026: First version published.

How Fit after 50 evaluates evidence