Holiday celebrations begin from November to January. Family and friends come together during this festival season to enjoy quality time. The holidays come with many activities like traveling, eating, and drinking. The holiday excitement and the celebratory mood make people less reluctant about their safety.
This year particularly poses a new threat to the Covid-19 pandemic. As we ensure our safety, we must protect those around us, including our loved ones and strangers.
Holiday Safety Tips at Home
We must focus on habits and behavior during the holiday season to keep our loved ones safe. This holiday season involves decorations, cooking, drinking, and other fun activities at home.
Decorations
Holiday decorations pose risks for children and families. Unfortunately, we can't avoid using these decorations as they bring the holidays to life. Here are some valuable tips when decorating a home with light hangings:
- Before hanging decorations lamps on trees and at home, check for frayed chords and replace all the broke electric lights. It is common for electrical fires to break out from faulty strands.
- It is also essential to check the light package and tested before you make a purchase. Loose connections and open/bare wires can also result in severe fire outbreaks.
- When hanging decorations, ensure that the breakable items remain at the top of the tree. You can let children decorate the lower parts with less risky items.
- Ensure that all beautiful but poisonous plants, such as Amaryllis, Jerusalem Cherries, Holly Berries, and Mistletoe, used for the decorations, should be kept away from children.
- If using artificial Christmas trees, choose fire-resistant trees. Keep live trees watered and dispose of them when dry. You must also keep your tree away from potential fire sources.
- Turn off all the holiday lights, especially outdoor lights, when you are traveling and before going to bed.
Fire
Holidays involve lots of doings that can be distracting. Hosting family and friends at home can be pretty overwhelming. Open fires and foods left unattended while cooking can result in colossal damage in terms of health and property. Cases of residential fire breakouts are widespread during the winter season. Everyone must be careful when handling decoration fires.
- Don't leave open fires unattended.
- Always watch your children, especially when having bonfire activities at home.
- Keep hot items and foods away from children.
- Take up one task at a time, especially when cooking, ironing, etc. Avoid the use of gasoline and charcoal at home.
- Candles are a leading cause of fires. For candle safety, ensure they are out of the children's reach. They should also be kept in safe places where they can't be knocked over and away from flammable materials (you can use flameless candles).
- A screen should always be in place when the fire is burning at the fireplace. Also, one can use wood-burning stoves.
- Always keep lighters and matches locked up and out of children's reach.
- Prevent cooking fires by never leaving the stove unattended.
Food poisoning
Food poisoning or foodborne illness is a widespread health problem during the holiday season. It can be catastrophic if it happens to a large group of people, such as friends and family. Here are helpful tips when handling food to avoid cases of food poisoning:
- Practice proper hygiene and wash your hands regularly when handling food. Clean utensils and kitchen working spaces properly to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
- Keep raw foods away from those ready to eat. Raw meat, pork, and poultry can potentially spread bacteria to other food items resulting in serious illnesses. It is also essential to use a separate chopping board for each.
- Food should be cooked properly using a food thermometer, and stored at the recommended temperatures.
- Always refrigerate leftover foods within two hours after cooking. Food poisoning bacteria multiply faster at temperatures of 140°C. Dispose of foods that have overstayed in the refrigerator.
Drinking and safety
The intake of alcohol increases whenever people are in celebratory moods, like holiday gatherings or holiday parties. The effects of excess alcohol are pretty extensive. They range from drunk driving to other injuries and accidents. The following tips will help you ensure your safety and those of others:
- You should monitor your alcohol intake. Pre-plan the number of drinks you will take and stick to it. It is recommended that you take one drink per hour. The amount of alcohol an individual can take depends on their health status, age, gender, and body weight.
- Do not drink on an empty stomach. It is helpful to eat while drinking alcohol or before. Drinking alcohol with food in your stomach slows down the rate at which it is absorbed into your bloodstream.
- Drink plenty of water and other non-alcoholic drinks alongside alcohol to help reduce the effects. You should also sip rather than gulp.
- Do not take energy drinks and sugars when taking alcohol, as they spike up your blood alcohol levels. Salty foods will also make you thirstier, making you drink more.
- Don't get carried away by complimentary drinks and other drinking games.
- If you are on medication, consult your doctor before taking the alcohol. You should also avoid alcohol if you are a pregnant or nursing mother.
- If you are drunk, don't operate machinery or drive. Take a public transportation instead.
- Alcohol is a depressant, and you should avoid it if you already feel depressed.
Holiday Safety Tips When Driving
Traveling with family members and friends is frequent during holiday vacations. Unfortunately, the rate of accidents increases as people often drive under the influence of alcohol, which causes major road accidents. Here are some tips while traveling with your loved ones:
- Don't drink and drive. Instead, call a taxi or a friend to help you reach your destination, or take public transportation.
- Avoid distractions, like social media activities, texting, and phone calls, while driving, as those cause road accidents.
- Consider the weather conditions and drive accordingly.
- Avoid driving alone for long distances in case you have an eye problem.
Road Safety Tips for Children
- If you are traveling with your children, ensure their safety by buckling them up according to their ages with the appropriate car seats and seat boosters.
- When placing a car seat, ensure that the harness is well buckled. Heavy clothing, such as blankets and coats, can compromise the tightness of the harness. To avoid this, cover the blanket over the child when the harness is well in place.
- For safety, always buckle up children under 12 years in the back seat. Let your children know the importance of using a seat belt and set a good example all the time.
- Teens are a leading cause of accidents, especially during the festive season. Have a strict agreement with your teenage child concerning driving. Supervise their driving on highways and in adverse weather conditions. Due to their inexperience in driving, don't allow them to drive at night and after parties.
Holiday Season Safety Tips
The holidays come during the winter season. Always ensure that you plan. The following tips will help in your preparation:
Even with the utmost preparedness, an emergency can occur when we least expect it. The following tips will help you prepare for emergencies and save lives over this festive season:
- Be armed with an emergency first aid kit and check for all the essentials.
- You will also need to be well prepared for the weather by having your car adjusted. Purchase the appropriate clothing to keep you and your family safe.
- You should acquire CPR and first aid skills. Whenever an emergency occurs, your live saving skills will be the only source of hope before the emergency response service arrives.
- First aid training offers skills and procedures for attending to emergencies like burns, bleeding, frostbite, hypothermia, choking, drowning, fracture, and many more. CPR training provides skills for saving the lives of someone with a heart attack. For cardiac arrest victims, every second that goes by without receiving CPR is a step to the grave.
Response Process for Emergencies
The emergency response procedure is covered in depth under CPR and first aid training courses. Whenever an emergency occurs, follow the following steps:
- Do not panic. Panicking slows down your brain processes. It is, therefore, essential to think and respond fast. Training and first aid and CPR skills will offer you the confidence to act and prevent panic.
- You also need to recognize the type of emergency and call for help. Offer as much information on the occurrence as possible to healthcare professionals. CPR and first aid training courses offer skills to recognize different emergencies.
- Assess the environment for risks and, if needed, move the victim to safety.
- Start on the appropriate first aid as soon as possible. The earlier the first aid is offered, the higher the chances of survival.
Conclusion
Medical emergencies can occur at any time during the holiday season. Don't let it ruin your holiday plans. The primary step is to avoid these situations by implementing the basic measures. The festive season brings along all kinds of distractions. We can prevent the occurrence by taking up the necessary life-saving training.
With the coronavirus pandemic, avoiding holiday gatherings is better if you have the covid 19 symptoms or severe illness. Maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance at all times.
