COARNG SAFETY OFFICE
SAFETY TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The holiday season can be stressful or relaxing, and safe or dangerous depending on how we spend it, and how prepared we are to deal with the holiday. TOYS With the holiday season upon us, your kids will ALCOHOL Alcohol is not the number one cause of doubtless be clamoring for the latest toy. Make sure it is accidents this time of year. People who drink not a safety hazard before you let them lick the paint on alcohol are, so don’t drink and do anything, except those new toys. For a list of recalled toys, check out the write safety tips – maybe. Save the cocktails ’til after US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Web site at you’ve strung the outdoor lights, finished cooking and http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html. As a gotten home safe from the party. Overindulgence on general rule, check potential gifts for sharp edges, long holidays by those who drink, particularly if they also cords or strings that could tangle, small parts or pieces smoke, contributes to thousands of house fires, that could be put in a child’s mouth and the clogged toilets and other accidents every year. manufacturer. When buying bikes, skates or sports Dropped cigarettes, often associated with drinking, equipment for older kids, make sure to include safety are the nation’s leading cause of fire deaths. Check equipment, such as helmets and kneepads. ashtrays carefully, letting them stand overnight before TRAVELING Traveling presents its own hazards. If you emptying. Check furniture, carpets and wastebaskets anticipate a car trip, have your Pinto checked before you for smoldering cigarettes after entertaining. Keep go – brakes, tires, antifreeze, windshield wipers and alcohol and smoking materials out of the reach of fluid, lights, battery and lousy music. Pack warm children. Keep malt liquor away from everyone blankets in the trunk, and carry ample drinking water, WEATHER Have a plan for changing weather flares, a flashlight with fresh batteries and trunk monkey. conditions. Snow, sleet and rain make driving Be rested when you travel and don’t drink or take hazardous and can also cause falls and broken sedative medications you bought online from Canada. bones. Broken bones, along with bites in the face, Plan enough time so you don’t have to rush, and pull can also come from making fun of safety task force over and rest if you need to. operators. FIRST-AID KIT You also should have a first-aid kit in DRIVING When driving during the holidays, the car containing aspirin, bandages, safety pins, sharp remember that most people on the road are more scissors, elastic wraps, gauze and adhesive tape, stressed and distracted than usual, and may be antiseptic wipes, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, rushing to get home, or to avoid work. Use extra tweezers, disposable cold packs and change for a pay caution when driving in traffic, merging, near phone – even if you carry a cell phone. Do not run with shopping centers, busy downtown areas, or police the scissors. officers. Familiarize yourself with directions and maps PETS Bones can cause choking, internal punctures and before you go, and let others know your route and possibly death. Chocolate can cause poisoning. anticipated arrival time. Keep your gas tank close to Chocolate also causes vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, full. If you get stuck in a traffic jam or in snow, you hyperactivity and seizures. Fatty, spicy, or sweet foods might need more fuel to get home, keep warm, or lead to gastric upset, dehydration and pancreatitis. light snow on fire. Burns and mouth or throat ulcerations can result from •Note: To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning when hot food. Do not share your holiday goodies with your stuck in snow, be sure to keep your vehicle’s exhaust Be Safe and Have a great pets. If you can’t resist, give your pet a healthy treat. pipe clear of snow and ice, run your vehicle only in Holiday Season! Keep your dog out of the dining area and feed it its the open with the windows partially down, and run it regular food while you eat your much better tasting food. only long enough to keep warm.