The holiday season is upon us, which means family celebrations, gift shopping and many fun-filled activities and events are on the way. Safety, however, often gets lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
This holiday season, don’t leave safety to chance. If you start planning for the holiday season today, you should have no trouble staying happy and healthy in the days and weeks to come.
Now, let’s take a look at five holiday safety tips.
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Give Safely
The holiday season is a time of giving, one that kids and adults generally appreciate. As such, it is important to give safely, especially if you are buying gifts for children or elderly individuals.
Some kids toys contain small parts that can create choking hazards. These toys can be a lot of fun, but they also can be dangerous. Therefore, you should ensure that these toys are only used under adult supervision. Or, if you want to err on the side of caution, you may want to select alternative toys to avoid potential choking hazards altogether.
It is important to remember that older individuals sometimes struggle with big, bulky items as well. If you have a grandparent or great uncle or aunt on your holiday shopping list, there is no need to buy them large, heavy items. Instead, clothing, photographs and other easy-to-handle items may prove to be safe gift choices for elderly individuals.
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Decorate with Caution
Believe it or not, hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree, lighting a Hanukkah menorah or other holiday decorating can actually be dangerous. If you take a cautious approach to holiday decorating, you can avoid potential falls and injuries.
For those who plan to decorate a home’s exterior, it is paramount to understand your physical abilities and limitations. If you struggle working at heights or are taking medications that increase the risk of bleeding, you may want to hire professionals to help you decorate your house for the holiday season.
The weather should be a consideration if you plan to decorate outdoors too. If a winter storm is rapidly approaching, it may be best to wait for the inclement weather to pass before you complete assorted holiday decorating.
Be sensible as you decorate your Christmas tree. Although you may strive to put ornaments as high up on your Christmas tree as you can, only reach as high as you can to decorate. And if you want to decorate as high up on your Christmas tree as possible, use a sturdy ladder, and ensure that someone is at the bottom to hold the ladder in place.
Furthermore, you should place a Hanukkah menorah away from curtains or any other flammable objects. You also should extinguish any Hanukkah menorah flames before leaving a room or going to bed.
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Keep Your Food Safe
Carrying holiday treats from one location to the next is common, especially if you’re attending a Christmas pageant or other holiday celebrations. At the same time, sharing holiday dishes with large groups of people increases the likelihood of bacteria that can lead to food poisoning.
If you’re preparing foods for a large holiday event, you should use chafing dishes, crock pots or ice trays. These items will help you consistently keep your favorite foods at the right temperatures. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends all hot foods remain above 140˚F, and all cold foods should stay below 40˚F.
When it comes to holiday foods, you may want to avoid leftovers. Typically, if hot or cold foods have been left out for more than two hours, they should be discarded. Because if you fail to dispose of these foods and consume them at a later time, your chances of food poisoning could rise dramatically.
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Beware of Poisonous Plants
Holly, mistletoe and poinsettias are three of the most popular holiday plants. But these plants are poisonous, and they should be kept away from children and pets at all times.
Often, it is best to keep any poisonous plants high on shelves. This will ensure that these plants are away from kids and pets, thereby reducing the risk of accidental consumption. Conversely, if you have a cat who tends to jump on shelves, it may be better to choose imitation holiday plants over real plants.
If a child or pet accidentally consumes any part of a poisonous plant, you should contact poison control immediately. This will allow you to determine how to minimize the damage.
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Be Ready to Administer Life-Saving Support
Unfortunately, even a joyous holiday celebration can turn into a life-threatening situation without notice. If you possess life-saving training, you’ll know what to do to assist others in a variety of emergencies.
Life-saving training may come in handy during the holiday season. For example, if someone chokes on a chicken bone during a holiday feast, an individual who possesses emergency response training can perform abdominal thrusts or other life-saving techniques.
Let’s not forget about the long-lasting benefits of life-saving training, either. An individual who understands how to respond in emergencies can provide crucial assistance to cardiac arrest and heart attack victims. Also, this individual will know how to locate and use an automated external defibrillator (AED), perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and much more.
For those who want to be proactive about holiday safety, it pays to enroll in life-saving training. Classes are available to teach individuals how to respond in a wide range of emergencies. These courses blend hands-on and classroom lessons to help individuals understand their roles in life-threatening situations.
SureFire CPR has been a top provider of first aid, CPR and other life-saving classes for many years. Our classes are designed for individuals of all ages and skill levels and ensure people can learn how to administer life-saving assistance to any person, at any location and at any time.
Enroll in life-saving training from SureFire CPR. To learn more about our classes, please call us at (888) 277-3143.
