This Thanksgiving, celebrate the holiday in safety with your friends and family. Although Thanksgiving is a popular holiday for personal injuries and a busy one for hospitals, you can significantly reduce your risk of an accident with a few general safety tips. Recognizing the most common causes of injuries and how to prevent them could make all the difference. If you do suffer a serious injury this Thanksgiving, contact an injury attorney for counsel. A personal injury lawyer can help you work through your accident and find out if you have grounds for compensation.
Cooking Safety
Cooking safety is imperative around the Thanksgiving holiday. The consequences of a cooking disaster can be much greater than just ruining the food. Calamities in the kitchen can cause house fires, severe burn injuries, eye injuries, lacerations, amputations, slip and fall accidents, and child injuries. Keep your kitchen as safe as possible with a few tricks and tips.
- Make the kitchen an off-limit zone for children, or keep them at least three feet away from any sources of heat.
- Keep knives, lighters, matches and electrical cords out of reach of children.
- Wear long sleeves and tight-fitting clothing to reduce fire risks.
- Keep your floor clear of spilled liquids, food debris, toys, clutter and other items to prevent fall accidents.
- Check electrical cords on kitchen appliances for cracks, damage, or wear and tear before using.
- Check on cooking food frequently, especially items on the stovetop.
If you have been drinking alcohol or you feel drowsy, hand over the apron to someone else. Cooking while drunk or fatigued could lead to serious mishaps and injuries in the kitchen. Take your time, plan out what you wish to cook and do not overwhelm yourself with too many projects at once. Make sure you can supervise all cooking food safely and adequately.
Decoration Safety
Putting up the fall decorations can set the tone for the holiday, but make sure you do not also set yourself up for disaster. Decorate with safety in mind. Avoid using dried-out or dead flora in your fall decorations, as these can turn into combustibles for a fire. Check all string lights for wiring issues before plugging them in. Do not use indoor lights outside and do not overload your circuits. Avoid running cords across hallways, walkways or staircases. Do not decorate with heavy items overhead that could fall and strike your guests. Opt for electric candles instead of the real deal, and keep your space warm with heaters rather than lighting a fire. If a defective decoration let to a burn injury, our experienced burn injury lawyers and defective product attorneys can investigate and fight for your right to compensation.
Fire Safety
Do not neglect fire safety this holiday season. Keep fire safety essentials in mind as you prepare for Thanksgiving, decorate your home and cook for a large group. Thanksgiving Day has the highest number of cooking-related house fires out of all the days of the year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In 2017, fire departments around the U.S. had to respond to around 1,600 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day. The day before Thanksgiving is also a common day for cooking fires.
Reduce your risk of a cooking fire by supervising food at all times. Do not leave food on a stovetop unattended, as this is the leading cause of cooking fires. Do not place flammable items such as paper towels or oven mitts near your stove. Instead of using a turkey deep-fryer that uses oil, opt for an oil-less one with infrared instead. The NFPA states that deep fryers have a high risk of starting house fires, even if the user is careful and experienced.
Practice fire safety by checking all smoke alarms regularly and keeping at least one fire extinguisher handy per floor of your home. Have an evacuation plan in place in case of an emergency and teach it to your children. If a fire does break out in your home this Thanksgiving, try to put it out if you can safely do so. Otherwise, evacuate your home immediately and call 911.