Summertime is a Blast: Make it Safe
- Posted on: Jul 15 2018
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The Fourth of July is one of the busiest holidays of the year, with millions of people gathering to watch fireworks displays. In fact, Independence Day may be only the beginning of summertime sparkles. Because statistics indicate that thousands of injuries occur each year as a result of celebrating with fireworks, it is essential to know how to protect yourself and those you love. Here, we discuss suggestions to avoid fireworks injuries.
How do Fireworks Injuries Occur?
There are different types of fireworks. Large displays are typically only performed by trained professionals in an approved setting. Rarely do injuries relate to these displays. What emergency room personnel usually see are injuries caused by personal use. While there are regulations that families are encouraged to follow relating to the use of legal fireworks only, this doesn’t eliminate the risks involved in using any fireworks device, even sparklers.
According to statistics, the primary factor in fireworks injuries is igniting a device while holding it. Injuries may also be related to malfunctioning devices. Instances include an errant flight path that lands where it shouldn’t, a device tipping over during ignition, or trying to light a device that did not correctly ignite the first time.
Common fireworks-related injuries include:
- Burns to the hands or face
- Bone fractures in the hands or face
- Lacerations to the hands or face
- Eye injuries
- Hearing damage
How to Avoid Injury
There are several ways to minimize the risk of fireworks injuries. Professional health organizations encourage the use of approved, legal devices only. This is an excellent place to start, but not a place to end precautionary measures. Remember, even legal fireworks present a degree of danger. For example, the sparklers that are often given to younger children to hold and play with reach temperatures over 1,500 degrees. These legal fireworks have caused severe burns in some children and have also been identified as a fire risk.
If you plan to use or observe the use of personal fireworks, follow these tips for injury prevention:
- Light only one device at a time, and step away immediately after lighting.
- If a device does not work as expected, leave it alone. Many injuries have occurred during attempts to reignite a faulty firework device.
- Do not throw or point any ignited device at another person.
- Discourage children from waving sparklers. Debris can ignite clothing.
- When using legal fireworks at home, keep a hose or bucket of water nearby.
GO Imaging wishes you a happy and safe Summer. Contact us in Humble or Houston for your imaging needs.
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