HALLOWE’EN SAFETY

Keep Spookily Safe Keep Spookily Safe Keep Spookily Safe

After the restrictions of the last few years, many children will be looking forward to Hallowe’en even more than usual. Here we have some tips to help ensure they have a safe time.

Fire Safety Tips

• Loose clothing can go up in flames if it catches on a burning candle. If you’re going out to scare, know what to wear.

• Try to buy from a reputable store or website, it may mean spending a bit more but it will be safer. Cheap costumes may not meet UK safety standards and may carry fake safety labels. Look for a costume with a CE mark and make sure it is genuine. This doesn’t mean it won’t catch light. But it has been tested for fire safety so it should burn more slowly.

The British

Retail

Consortium has introduced stricter fire safety tests for children’s dressing-up costumes. Many reputable retailers and manufacturers in the UK have signed up to this voluntary code. Look for a label that says: “This garment has undergone additional safety testing for flammability”. • Teach children to ‘Stop, Drop and Roll’, make sure they know what to do if their clothes catch fire. The instinct is to run.

So encourage them to practice stopping, dropping to the ground, covering their face with their hands, and rolling over a few times to put out the flames. • Candles and lit pumpkins create a fantastic spooky atmosphere but can be dangerous. Keep them well out of the path of trick or treaters and away from any

Hallowe’en decorations that might catch light. • Remember not to put candles on a surface that may burn. And, in all the excitement, don’t forget to blow them out when you’re done.

You may want to switch to LED / flameless battery-powered candles for extra safety (but be sure the battery compartment is secure).

Out and About

• Visibility is important all year round, but after the clocks go back it gets dark much earlier, just when children are out trick or treating. • Reflective tape can make a fun addition to Hallowe’en costumes and make children more visible to drivers at twilight, as it is picked up in car headlights. If you’re going out earlier with little ones, then bright or fluorescent clothing is better for daytime visibility. • Fluorescent glow sticks and glow jewellery can make good costume accessories and help make children more visible to drivers.

• Masks can make it harder for children to see or hear traffic. So save the special masks for the

Hallowe’en party and use face paint for trick or treating. • Keep a look out for trailing or lose

parts of costumes that could trip the wearer up. • Encourage children to put mobile phones away when they are out and crossing roads. Instead of using the phone as a light, carry a torch. • Children under 12 are best accompanied by an adult. Agreeing a pre-planned route for children over 12, avoiding strangers doors, making sure they stay in a group and giving them a way of contacting a trusted adult if they need to offers freedom with less risk. Remind children that not everyone celebrates Hallowe’en so they should be shown some consideration.

Other Safety Tips

• Carving pumpkins can be dangerous and should be carried out by adults, or supervised older children. To be safe, try some ‘no carve pumpkin’ ideas. Use felt tip pens or paint to make a spooky face or decorate it by sticking things such as ribbons, buttons, tissue paper or dried pasta on it.

• Watch out for treats that could be a choking hazard for young children, like hard sweets, marshmallows or mini-eggs. It’s best to avoid eating while walking or running, so you may want to save up all the treats to enjoy back at home.

Go to www.capt.org.uk/halloween for more advice. Free resources are available at www.tradingstandards.uk/news-policy/ campaigns/halloween-safety-campaign/ from the Office for Product Safety & Standards.