Learning Center

Backyard Barbeque Safety Tips

Safety for Gas Grills

Inspect the cylinder of your propane tank for bulges, dents, gouges, corrosion, leaks, or evidence of extreme rusting. Also, examine the hoses on your grill for brittleness, leaks holes, cracks, or sharp bends. If you find any of these problems, it’s time to replace the equipment.

Be sure to keep propane tanks upright, and move gas hoses away from dripping grease and hot surfaces.

Never bring your propane tank indoors, and never store spare gas containers under or near your grill. Don’t store other flammable liquids, such as gasoline, near propane tanks. Keep your barbeque covered when it’s not in use to prevent hazardous situations.

Safety for Charcoal Grills

Keep the following four safety tips in mind when using your charcoal grills:

1. Operate charcoal grills only outdoors, never inside an enclosed area.  Even if you’ve finished grilling, and you assume all the coals are extinguished, they’re still producing carbon monoxide, so keep your charcoal grills outside at all times.
2. Don’t wear loose clothing, especially long sleeves, while grilling.
3. Charcoal grills tend to flare up, so keep a fire extinguisher handy.
4. Use charcoal lighter fluid to light new coals only; don’t use it on coals that are already lit.

Fireworks Safety

Fireworks statistics show:

• Sparklers, firecrackers, bottle rockets and roman candles each contributed to 17% of eye injuries.
• Almost half (49%) of the injuries were to children under age 15.
• Sparklers can heat up to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt gold.
• There were an estimated 1200 eye injuries – the second most commonly injured body part.

If an accident does occur, what can you do right away to minimize the damage to the eye? These six steps can help save your child’s sight:

• Do not rub the eye. Rubbing the eye may increase bleeding or make the injury worse.
• Do not attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing.
• Do not apply pressure to the eye itself. Holding or taping a foam cup or the bottom of a juice carton to the eye are just two tips.  Protecting the eye from further contact with any item, including the child’s hand, is the goal.
• Do not stop for medicine! Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin (should never be given to children) and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the child to the emergency room at once – this is more important than stopping for a pain reliever.
• Do not apply ointment. Ointment, which may not be sterile, makes the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.
• Do not let your child play with fireworks, even if his/her friends are setting them off. Sparklers burn at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit and bottle rockets can stray off course or throw shrapnel when they explode.
  

Dehydration

Summer heat puts us all at risk of dehydration. Dehydration is defined as “the loss of water content and essential body salts needed for normal body functioning.” Children and the elderly are the most susceptible to dehydration. Every cell in our body needs water to function. In fact, water is the nutrient we need in the greatest amount. Individuals can, and have, survived as long as six weeks without food, but we can’t survive more than a week without water.

80% of the body’s water loss is by perspiration. Without the proper replacement of fluids, the cardiovascular system becomes impaired and can’t deliver the oxygen and nutrients needed to keep muscles functioning without undue strain. This can result in fatigue. In addition, if fluid is not replaced, the body can’t maintain its cooling mechanism, resulting in cramps, headaches and nausea. More severe symptoms of dehydration include accelerated heartbeat, seizures, permanent brain damage, low blood pressure, shock or even death.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, a fluid loss of 5% can result in mild dehydration. A loss of 10 to 15% is serious and needs immediate medical attention.

How to avoid dehydration:

• Take frequent water breaks throughout the day.
• Drink water or electrolyte replenishment drinks such as Gatorade or Power Aid before, during and after physical activity.
• Avoid coffee, tea, caffeinated sodas and alcoholic drinks.  These are all diuretics and increase the rate of dehydration.

Preventing dehydration can be accomplished by controlling the factors that cause it. Stay Safe!