More Safety Tips
- All fireworks are potentially dangerous and can cause injury.
- Children aged 5 to 9 years have the highest injury rate.
- Sparklers can burn at temperatures over 1000 degrees F and can easily set clothing on fire and cause serious burns.
- It is strongly recommended that fireworks only be used by professionals.
- If you choose to use fireworks, please follow these tips:
- Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.
- Read and follow all warnings and instructions before use.
- Light fireworks outdoors in a clear area away from houses, dry leaves or grass, and flammable materials.
- Keep a bucket of water nearby for emergencies and for pouring on fireworks that do not go off.
- Do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water and throw them away.
- Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
- Never ignite fireworks in a container, especially in a glass or metal container
- Keep unused fireworks away from firing areas.
- Store fireworks in a dry, cool place.
- Never have any part of your body directly over a firework while lighting.
- Do not experiment with homemade fireworks.
IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure you know what your local laws are. Many states do not allow the use of fireworks.
Pedestrian Safety
- Never let your young children go trick-or-treating alone. Make sure an adult is always with them.
- If your older children are going alone, plan and review a route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
- Encourage your children to walk from house to house. Don't let them run.
- Allow your children to only visit homes with a porch light on - remind them to never enter a home or car for a treat.
- Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk. Look left, right and then left again before crossing the street in the crosswalk.
- If no sidewalk is available, have your children walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
- Instruct your children to never cut across yards or use alleys.
- Walk with a flashlight and put reflective tape on your child's costume and/or bag so drivers easily see them.
Costume Safety
- Plan costumes that are bright and reflective.
- Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement, or contact with flame.
- Use nontoxic face paint instead of masks. Masks can limit the child's ability to see.
- Test the face paint or makeup on a small part of the child's skin to check for allergic reaction.
- Toy swords, knives, and other toy weapons should be short, soft, and flexible.
- Wear flame-resistant costumes. Look for a tag or sticker saying the customer is flame-resistant before purchasing.
Nutrition and Treat Safety
- Don't allow your child to eat any candy that looks like it has been tampered with.
- Check candy for choking hazards (hard or chewy candy) for younger children.
- Limit the amount of candy eaten each day.
- Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.
- Brush teeth well after eating candy, especially sticky candy.
Other Halloween Options:
- Try decorating pumpkins with markers and stickers instead of carving.
- Invite children over to have a costume party with games. This will limit the dangers of walking from house-to-house in the dark.
- Many recreation centers, schools, churches, and community centers host a Halloween party, harvest festival, or fall party.
Trees
- When purchasing an artificial tree, look for a "Fire Resistant" label.
- When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness
- Make sure the needles are soft and don't fall off
- Live trees need water, and lots of it! Check your tree's water level daily.
- Dry trees can burn in seconds!
- When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators, portable heaters, and exits.
- Remove live trees from your home as soon as possible. Many tree fires occur on or after New Year's Day.
Lights
- Check each set of lights for damaged sockets or wires.
- Make sure all bulbs work and there are no frayed wires, broken sockets, or loose connections.
- Throw away any bad strands.
- Follow the manufacturer's recommendations concerning the maximum number of light sets that can be connected together.
- Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house.
- Use only light sets and extension cords marked "for outdoor use" outside your home.
Decorations
- Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree.
- Never use lighted candles on or near a tree or other evergreens.
- Keep children and pets in mind when placing decorations on a tree.
- Remove all wrapping paper, bags, paper, ribbons, and bows from tree and fireplace areas after gifts are opened. These items can pose as suffocation and chocking hazards to a small child or cause a fire if near a flame.
- Keep potentially poisonous holiday plant decorations , including mistletoe berries, Jerusalem cherry, and holly berry away from children.
Gifts
- "Think Big" when choosing toys for small children
- Small parts could be a choking hazard.
- Make sure gifts are appropriate for the child's age.
- "Think Easy" when choosing a gift for someone who may have arthritis or some other physical challenge.
- Consider giving the gift of safety!
- Smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers make great gifts!
Fireplaces and Heaters
- Before starting a fire in a fireplace, remove all decorations (including stockings) and be sure the flu is open.
- Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. They can burn extremely fast and throw off sparks.
- If a glass-fronted gas fireplace is used, keep children and others well away from it with a screen or gate. The glass doors can get hot enough to cause serious burns, and they stay hot long after the fire is out. Always place a screen in front of a wood-burning fireplace as well.
- When plugging in electric heaters, make sure the outlet was designed to handle the load.
- When using kerosene heaters, make sure you use the correct fuel.
- Using the wrong fuel can cause a fire or even an explosion.
Be Prepared!
- Check the batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector monthly!
- Change the batteries as instructed by the manufacturer.
- Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near sleeping areas.
- Develop a fire escape plan and practice the plan with your family!
Why is lawn mower safety so important?
- Lawn mower injuries can:
- cause life changing injuries, both physical and emotional
- be very painful and disfiguring
- Following safety guidelines can save lives.
How common are lawn mower injuries?
Lawn Mower injuries are on the rise, up 3% since 2009.
Common causes of lawn mower injuries:
- Contact with rotating blade
- Being hit by flying objects
- Overturning
- Ride-on mowers running over person
Injury prevention tips:
- Do not let children less than 12 years old operate any lawn mower. For ride-on mowers, children should be at least 16 years old.
- Never have passengers on ride-on mowers.
- Keep young children at a safe distance from the area you are mowing.
- Pick up stones, toys and debris from the lawn to prevent injuries from flying objects.
- Use a mower with a control that stops it from moving forward if the handle is released.
- Never pull backward or mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary - carefully look for others behind you when you do.
- Always wear sturdy shoes while mowing - not sandals.
- Always wear eye and hearing protection.
What kind of injury can happen?
- Dislocated bones
- Deep cuts
- Arm, leg or genital amputation
- Missing fingers or toes
- Burns
- Eye injuries
Treatment of lawn mower injuries:
- Often requires a team of specialized doctors
- Child may need multiple surgeries to repair the injury
- May need therapy to help regain function to injured limb
- It is very important to protect babies and children's skin from sunburns.
- Babies under 6 months have skin that is thinner than other skin and therefore needs even more protection!
- Most of our sun exposure (between 60-80%) happens before we turn 18 years old.
- Sun exposure in early childhood and the adolescent years contributes to the risk of developing skin cancer later on in life.
- Here are some great tips for children younger than 1:
- Babies under 6 months of age should be kept out of direct sunlight.
- Dress your baby in comfortable lightweight clothing that covers their entire body.
- If your baby gets sunburn, contact your pediatrician immediately.
- If you cannot keep them covered or in the shade, sunscreen can be applied.
- Before using sunscreen, apply a small amount to limited area and watch for any reaction
- For kids older than 1 year old , here are some more safety tips:
- Choose sunscreen specifically made for children, preferably waterproof.
- If a rash develops, contact your child's pediatrician.
- Dress your child in clothing made of tightly woven fabrics.
- Sunglasses with UV protection are also a great idea to protect your child's eyes from the sun.
- More sun safety tips:
- Avoid going out in the sun when the sun is the strongest: between 10 am and 4pm.
- Use sunscreen even on a cloudy day. The sun's rays can still get through clouds.
- Look for sunscreen that will protect against both UV-B and UV-A rays for the bet protection
- Sunscreen should be reapplied often for the best protection.
- Use a SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15.
- Put on sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outdoors-it needs time to work on the skin.
- If you child develops a sunburn, keep them out of the sun until the burn completely heals.
News Releases
Read additional safety-related press releases from the hospital.
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