Halloween
At Home and on the Street
By Randy DeVaul
Celebrating Halloween with costumes, decorations, and trick-or-treating can
be a lot of fun for the entire family! There is no doubt that you will see and
maybe do things during Halloween that (fortunately) you will not see or do any
other time of the year. To ensure it remains fun for everyone, here are some
suggestions to keep the celebration safe and healthy.
First, pre-plan for both your house and your kids. Costumes that are bright
and reflective will reduce the tire marks from drivers not seeing 'halloweeners.'
Use non-toxic, hypoallergenic makeup in place of full-faced masks to prevent
vision and breathing problems. Wigs and costumes should also be flame-retardant.
Too many children and adults end up in burn units from pranks and ill-suited
costumes.
Outdoor decorations can be really cool, but remember you will have children
running across your yard. If you plan to be visited by extra-terrestials,
goblins, monsters, royalty and superheroes, remember these children cannot
actually fly. Unless, of course, they are flying over your yard stuff from not
seeing them. Keep your decorations lit or in non-pedestrian areas (such as front
lawns and culverts) to reduce potential lawsuits and prevent injuries. Other
items you may not think of include flower pots, garden hoses, low tree limbs or
roots, and other house and yard items.
Find accessories for costumes that are flexible and soft. Knives, sticks,
swords, and guns - even play ones - can pose life-threatening hazards if your
child falls on them or gets him killed in some neighborhoods or business areas
if the weapon looks real.
For the main event, have a route or location already established. Many of the
malls now offer a safe environment along with costume contests for children, as
do other organizations. Make sure you have the right batteries for flashlights.
Feed your children a good meal prior to going out to reduce the
sugar-meal-syndrome when returning with all of their goodies.
Act responsibly with your pets. Try not to put them outside or in a high
visibility area. It not only scares the daylights out of the 'weeners, but can
make your pet more aggressive as it believes it is under attack by strange
beings. Keeping your pet indoors will also reduce the risk of the pet being
attacked or injured by someone.
And finally, the basic list: warn your children about entering people's homes
or vehicles; do not let your kids use bicycles, rollerblades, or skateboards;
don't let younger children go alone and, if possible, go in 'herds' or groups.
That works well for the kids and the homeowners; don't let your children eat
anything that is not properly wrapped; only go to homes that have the outside or
porch light on.
This is obviously not an all-inclusive list. You can search the internet for
"Halloween safety" for more suggestions. Halloween can be fun. Keeping
it safe for adults, children, and pets will provide a positive experience for
everyone!
About the Author:
is an internationally published writer and author from Chester, VA. With more
than 20 years in safety and emergency response services, he has authored three
performance-based occupational safety books and is the creator of Safe At Home™
series. He is now writing Safe At Home: A Guide to Personal, Family, and Home
Safety. For more information on services or to comment, contact him at randy@goldenplume.com
or visit his website at www.goldenplume.com.
Download
his new e-Book "Performance
Safety: Lessons For Life" !!
This public service safety announcement is sponsored by Business
Industrial Network.
Also watch for more articles by Randy DeVaul at ...
http://www.bin95.com/news/news.htm
Please copy this article onto your websites and in
your newspaper columns, just keep all links and credits in place. Thank you in
advance for doing your part to make the holiday safer by spreading the
knowledge.
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