Doctor offers Halloween safety tips
For this Halloween, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Dr. Jeffrey H. Frye, emergency room medical director at Uniontown Hospital, offered a few tips on how to make this season for ghouls and ghosts a little safer for area children.
Frye said while community trick-or-treating, adults should be sure to accompany children, and traveling in large groups is preferred.
“Stick to houses, places and people you know,” Frye said. “It’s much better to avoid a lot of stranger contact.
“Do not accept homemade treats unless you specifically know who made them,” he added.
Some like to hand out fruit for Halloween, but Frye cautioned for parents to check each piece for pinholes, markings or cuts that could signify the produce has been adulterated. Throw out any candy, fruit or other treats that look suspicious, Frye advised.
It is important to make sure children are wearing lights, reflective tape or bright colors so they can be easily seen by drivers.
“See and be seen and be cautious as to what you do,” he said.
There are a lot of costumes out on the market that come in dark gray and black or military camouflage. Children who choose these costumes can make a dull color bright with some lucid lights or vivid colors.
“If you choose those costumes, it would be nice to have something to make them more visible,” Frye said. “For a few bucks, you can purchase a strobe light at the local store.”
In addition to strobe lights, he suggested bright, flashy necklaces or glow tubes.
“To wear something on the wrist, even a flashy ghost watch, would be the best bet because it can be seen from any directions,” added Frye.
If a mask is an accessory to a child’s costume, it should fit well and have large eyeholes to ensure proper vision, Frye said.
If cold temperatures approach on trick-or-treat night, Frye suggested layering clothes underneath the costume.
Although many trick-or-treat times are scheduled for daylight hours, Frye suggested that children still should take safety precautions.
“On a hazy day or if it gets cloudy or dark early and they are out at 5 o’clock at night, it’s best to have a strobe necklace on and wear earrings or something that’s flashy so drivers are aware where the children are,” he said.
Children, in all the Halloween excitement, have a tendency to dart between parked cars lined on a city street, so motorists, as well as children and parents, must stay alert to avoid a potential accident, he said.
Frye said plastic buckets or small, cloth bags are better and more secure than plastic bags for use in collecting treats.
“The more secure the better,” Frye said. “I seen kids lose their candy on the road and they were adamant about picking it up.”
After all the candy is collected, parents should limit children as to what and how much they can consume, Frye said. He once saw a child come into the emergency room sick from eating too many sweets.
“Don’t give them all of it,” he said. “Let them choose one or two pieces, then put it away.”
If one is seeking an alternative to community trick-or-treating, parties at local churches are planned throughout the area, Frye noted.
He provided the tips for a safe and happy Halloween holiday, so Uniontown Hospital can continue with a great track record of reporting zero unsafe or criminal incidents.