Safety Matters

Halloween is just days away. Whether you're dressing up for Halloween festivities at work or taking your ghosts and goblins trick-or-treating, here are some safety tips for one and all.  Choose costumes that are flame-resistant and avoid costumes for young children that require a plastic mask Never let your child trick-or-treat alone and remind them not to talk to strangers

•  Don’t allow them to enter a house unless a guardian is by their side
• If they are not wearing bright colours be sure to have reflective tape taped on their costumes so drivers can see them.
• It’s important to remind your trick-or-treaters the rules of the road: 
  • Only walk on sidewalks.
  • Look both ways before crossing the street.
  • Always cross at a crosswalk.
  • Obey pedestrian signals.
• Do not let your children indulge in the sugary treats until you've inspected them.
• And don't forget your flashlight!

Our friends at WorkSafeBC have compiled a great list of Halloween Safety Tips that we thought would be very applicable to share with everyone in Nova Scotia.

Halloween Contact Lens Dangers - From CTV News/Sympatico.ca
Cosmetic contact lenses can cause serious damage to the eyes.

Halloween Costume Recalls - From Health Canada
This year, several costumes have been recalled because they can easily catch fire if exposed to flame or other ignition sources. Face paint has also been recalled for harmful levels of lead.

• Costume recall
• Face paint recall

Halloween Food Safety Tips - From Health Canada
Remind children not to eat any of their collected goodies while out trick-or-treating, especially any homemade candy or baked goods.

Protect Your Pets at Halloween - From the BC SPCA
"Fireworks going off, a constantly ringing doorbell and the presence of costumed strangers can all cause animals to panic, putting both pets and people in danger."

ICBC's Spooktacular Halloween Safety Tips for Parents and Drivers
"On average, on Halloween night between 3 p.m. and midnight, there are 400 crashes resulting in 120 injured victims on B.C. roads."

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Safety Tips - From PediatricSafety.net
"If you've ever carved a pumpkin before, you know from experience how slippery and tough they can be. It is all too easy for a knife to slip or for it to go through the skin and out the other side where your other hand might be holding it steady."

More Resources…
For more tips on how to stay safe this Halloween visit http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/index.htm