Weekly Safety Meeting – Halloween Safety

With witches, goblins, and super-heroes descending on neighborhoods all over the U.S., here are some safety tips to help prepare children for a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treat holiday.

Halloween should be filled with surprise and enjoyment, and following some common-sense practices can keep events safer and more fun!

Halloween can be a fun time for children and parents alike as the small army of trick-or-treaters move from house to house.

The secret to having an incident–free and safe Halloween experience is remembering the rules of Halloween safety. Talk to your children about Halloween safety tips every year to ensure that they never forget these life-preserving measures. Check out all our health and safety tips to learn more.

Walk Safely:

• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right, and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
• Put electronic devices down, keep heads up, and walk, don’t run, across the street.
• Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
• Join kids under age 12 for trick-or-treating. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, tell them to stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.

Costumes for a Safe Halloween:

• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
• Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
• Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
• When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.

Upon Returning Home:

• Inspect all goodies in your child’s treat bags. Dispose of items with open or broken wrappers or that are unwrapped. Discard any homemade items from people you don’t know or items where the brand is unfamiliar to you.
• Wash fruits and cut each into several pieces to be sure they are fresh and don’t have anything harmful inserted. (Australia faced a strawberry crisis after several fruits across the country were found to have needles inside.)
• If your child has a food allergy, meticulously inspect candy labels to confirm they are safe to eat.
• Ration treats. Just because your child has a bag full of goodies, that is no reason for he or she to eat them all. Ration treats by doling out a few each day or week. You could suggest swapping some or all of the candy for something healthier or more beneficial such as a book, toy, or an outing.

Drive Extra Safely on Halloween:

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians, and on curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
• Get rid of any distractions in your car, like your phone, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
• Turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
• Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Be especially alert for kids during those hours.

Remember:

Whether you’re a ghost or zombie, vampire or witch, poor costume choices, including decorative (colored) contact lenses and face paint allergies can cause injuries that haunt you long after Halloween.

CHOOSE SAFETY…FOR PEACE OF MIND OF YOUR FAMILY!!