Halloween Safety Training

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Halloween Safety
HALLOWEEN SAFETY Written by Mr. Hopper, CIH
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Topics

• USAG Safety staff
• Halloween accident statistics
• Safety tips for kids
• Safety tips for adults
• Safety tips for parties
• Safety tips for yard haunts
• Safety tips for pets
• Safety tips for trick or treating

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ACCIDENT STATISTICS
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Accident Statistics

• Roughly four times as many children aged 5-14 are
  killed while walking on Halloween evening
  compared with other evenings of the year.
• Falls are a leading cause of injuries among
  children on Halloween.
• Many Halloween-related injuries can be prevented
  if parents closely supervise school-aged children
  during trick-or-treat activities.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR KIDS
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Safety Tips for Kids

• Simple common sense can do a lot to stop any
  tragedies from happening.
• Excitement of children and adults at this time of
  year sometimes makes them forget to be careful.
• Teaching your kids everyday safety will make your
  holiday considerably safer.
• Dont get into cars or talk to strangers.
• Watch both ways before crossing the street.
• Cross only when the lights tell you to.

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Safety Tips for Kids

• Be careful when selecting a costume.
• Help your child pick out or make a costume that
  will be safe.
• Make sure the costume is fire proof.
• The eye holes should be large enough for good
  peripheral vision.
• Decorate costumes, bags and sacks with
  retro-reflective tape or stickers.

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Safety Tips for Kids
If you child is carrying a prop make sure the tip
is smooth and flexible and they will not cause
injury if fallen on.
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Safety Tips for Kids

• Loose costumes, oversized bags or unsafe shoes
  can cause falls and accidents.
• If wearing a mask
• Choose one that is cool and comfortable.
• Take the mask off before crossing the street.
• Better yet, wear make-up instead of a mask.

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Safety Tips for Kids
Billowing costumes and flowing false-hair wigs,
beards, or other hairy items are unsafe around
flames or candles.
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Safety Tips for Kids
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Safety Tips for Kids

• Kids always want to help with the pumpkin
  carving.
• Small children shouldn't be allowed to use a
  sharp knife to cut the top or the face.
• There are many kits available that come with tiny
  saws that work better then knives and are safer,
  although you can be cut by them as well.
• It's best to let the kids clean out the pumpkin
  and draw a face on it, which you can carve for
  them.

DONT ALLOW THIS!
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Safety Tips for Kids

• Traffic safety is paramount.
• Children need to walk, NOT run, while
  trick-or-treating.
• Teach children to look left, right and left again
  before crossing the street.
• Children should only cross the street at
  intersections and crosswalks (if possible).
• Children should never dart out into the street or
  cross between parked cars.

DONT ALLOW THIS!
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Safety Tips for Kids
Teach children not to cut across yards.

• Clotheslines or telephone pole support wires are
  invisible at night.
• Lawn ornaments (i.e., bird baths, animal
  figurines, decorative curbing, etc.) are hidden
  hazards in the dark.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR ADULTS
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Safety Tips for Adults

• Know the route your kids will be taking if you
  aren't going with them.
• The best bet is to make sure that an adult is
  going with them. If you can't take them, see if
  another parent or a teen aged sibling can go
  along.
• Know what other activities a child may be
  attending, such as parties, school, or mall
  functions.

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Safety Tips for Adults

• Make sure you set a time that they should be home
  by.
• Make sure they know how important it is for them
  to be home on time.
• Tell children to never enter a home or apartment
  building unless accompanied by an adult.
• Children should not snack while they are out on
  Halloween. To help prevent your children from
  munching on candy, make sure they eat a light
  meal before they go.

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Safety Tips for Adults

• Make sure your children know how to reach you in
  case of an emergency!
• Remind your children of their home number and
  write the number down on a slip of paper and have
  them take it with them
• Make sure they know how to call 9-1-1 for an
  emergency.
• If you are on Fort Sam Houston, you need to
  identify your location so your call can be
  transferred to the Fire Department.
• You can dial 554-4713 to reach the Fort Sam
  Houston Fire and Emergency Services directly.

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Safety Tips for Adults

• Explain to children the difference between tricks
  and vandalism.
• Waxed windows can be difficult to clean.
• Throwing eggs at a house or car may seem like fun
  but they need to know the other side of the coin
  as well.
• Clean up and damages can ruin Halloween.
• If they are caught vandalizing, make them clean
  up the mess they've made.

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Safety Tips for Adults

• Explain to your kids that animal cruelty is not
  acceptable.
• Kids may know this on their own but peer pressure
  can be a bad thing.
• Make sure that they know that harming animals is
  not only morally wrong but punishable by law and
  will not be tolerated.

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Safety Tips for Adults

• Homeowners can help make Halloween safer for
  distracted trick-or-treaters by keeping pets who
  may become frightened or too excited away from
  youngsters.
• You can also try using battery powered jack
  o'lanterns instead of a candle.
• If you do use candles, place them well away from
  the trick-or-treaters.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR PARTIES
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Safety Tips for Parties

• Adults like to have as much fun during Halloween
  as the kids do!
• Keep an eye on the drinking, don't let it get out
  of hand.
• Take the keys away from anyone that may be
  driving.
• Have one person stay sober and offer to drive
  those people home who may be too intoxicated to
  drive.

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Safety Tips for Parties

• If you are having an indoor party
• Put your pet in a room where they wont be
  disturbed.
• Be careful your pet doesn't run out the door
  while you are handing out candy.
• Make sure your pet has an identification collar
  so they can be returned to you should they
  escape.

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Safety Tips for Parties

• If you are using dry ice in a punch bowl
• Keep the dry ice chips out of the drinks.
• Dry ice is -109.3 F and can cause severe injury
  if swallowed.
• Handle dry ice with gloves to prevent frost bite.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR YARD HAUNTS
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Safety Tips for Yard Haunts

• Consider getting extra home owners insurance for
  the nights people view the haunt.
• Nothing puts a damper on holiday fun like a law
  suit.
• Insurance companies can provide the extra
  insurance for short periods of time.
• The cost of insurance far outweighs the cost of a
  lawsuit.

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Safety Tips for Yard Haunts

• Make sure walk ways are far enough from things so
  people cant trip over them.
• Use battery powered light sources or light sticks
  instead of candles.
• Because it stains, make sure fake blood does not
  contact visitors, pets or children.
• If you have a gruesome haunt, put up warning
  signs to forewarn people with weak stomachs.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR PETS
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Safety Tips for Pets

• As much as your dog or cat may beg for candy,
  remember chocolate can deadly to them in any
  amount!
• Candy wrappers can be dangerous.
• Tin foil or plastic can get stuck in the
  digestive tract.
• Can cause serious illness and death.

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Safety Tips for Pets

• Dressing your pet up in a costume can be
  extremely stressful (for the pet).
• It may cause them discomfort and distress.
• If you put a mask on your pet, make sure the
  holes are large enough for them to see through.
• Even the nicest pet can become very hostile and
  bite or scratch.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR TRICK OR TREATING
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Safety Tips for Trick or Treating

• Tell children not to accept or eat anything that
  is not commercially wrapped or that looks
  homemade.
• When children bring their bags home, check their
  treats for any unusual appearance, colors, tiny
  pinholes, or tears in wrappers.
• Throw away anything that looks suspicious.

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Safety Tips for Trick or Treating

• Have your child dump out all the candy onto a
  table in a well-lit room.
• To be extra safe, separate out all the homemade
  goodies or fresh fruit.
• Unless you know the person who packed little bags
  of homemade treats or gave the fruit, you might
  want to throw these items out.
• Remove and toss out all unwrapped candy.
• Gently inspect the remainder for any evidence of
  damage or tampering.

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Safety Tips for Trick or Treating

• There are several problems with x-raying
  Halloween items.
• It would be obvious to most people if a razor
  blade or pins were stuck in an apple or candy
  bar.
• X-raying provides a false sense of security,
  since the process would reveal metal, and
  possibly glass, but would not detect poison.
• It's unnecessary if in doubt, throw it out!
• Children are in far more danger from being hit by
  a car on a dark street.

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HAVE A SAFE HALLOWEEN!!!!!
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BE SAFE TODAY SO YOU CAN ENJOY TOMORROWS SUNRISE
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• REMEMBER
• SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT!

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End of Presentation
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• Questions
• ?