Summer Safety Tips

It's summertime, which means the days are longer and more time is spent outdoors. Increased time in the sun poses risk to more than just your skin, though. The American Academy of Ophthalmology stresses the importance of eye protection from the sun's harmful rays by wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats.

One of the greatest threats to your eyes is invisible. Studies show that exposure to bright sunlight may increase the risk of developing cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and growths on the eye, including cancer.

The longer the exposure to bright light, the greater the risk is. Excessive exposure to UV light reflected off sand, snow, water or pavement can damage the eyes' front surface. Like your skin, your eyes never recover from UV exposure.

These are some tips to protect your eyes from the sun:

• Don’t focus on the color or darkness of sunglass lenses: Select sunglasses that block UV rays. Don’t be deceived by color or cost. The ability to block UV light is not dependent on the price tag.

• Check for 100 percent UV protection: Make sure your sunglasses block 100 percent of UV rays and UV-B rays.

• Choose wrap-around styles: Ideally, your sunglasses should wrap all the way around to your temples, so the sun’s rays can’t enter from the side.

• Wear a hat: In addition to your sunglasses, wear a broad-brimmed hat to protect your eyes.

• Don’t rely on contact lenses: Even if you wear contact lenses with UV protection, remember your sunglasses.

• Don’t be fooled by clouds: The sun’s rays can pass through haze and thin clouds. Sun damage to eyes can occur anytime during the year, not just in the summertime.

• Protect your eyes during peak sun times: Sunglasses should be worn whenever outside. It’s especially important to wear sunglasses in the early afternoon and at higher altitudes, where UV light is more intense.

• Don’t forget the kids: Everyone is at risk, including children. Protect their eyes with hats and sunglasses. In addition, try to keep children out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest.

Enjoy outdoor fun and protect yourself and your family from injuries.

Summer is the perfect time for fun activities with your family and friends: swimming, camping, outdoor games, fireworks, cookouts, and more.

Sharing great summer experiences with your loved ones can create wonderful memories that last a lifetime. That's why safety is so important during the summer months. We've collected the best safety tips around to help you ensure that your summertime activities are free of accidents and injuries.

Contents 1 Swimming Pool Summer Safety Tips 2 Fireworks Summer Safety Tips 3 Summer Transportation Safety Tips 4 Trampoline Summer Safety Tips 5 Emergency Room Visits

[edit] Swimming Pool Summer Safety Tips

• Never leave children unsupervised in a pool area.

• Always have rescue equipment and a phone near the pool.

• If a child is missing, check the pool and nearby areas first.

• Drain baby pools after each use to prevent drowning.

• Never dive or slide headfirst into a pool less than five feet deep.

• Surround pools with a gate or fence four feet or higher.

• Pool gates and fences need child proof latches.

[edit] Fireworks Summer Safety Tips

• Never allow young children to play with fireworks.

• Sparklers injure children under five most often.

• Never place your body over fireworks when lighting fuses.

• Move back to a safe distance immediately after lighting.

• Never re-light fireworks that have not fully functioned.

• Keep a bucket of water or hose near in case of fires.

• Never shoot off fireworks in metal or glass containers.

[edit] Summer Transportation Safety Tips

• Enjoy your summer celebrations, but never drink and drive.

• Watch out for increased road construction and work zones.

• Never leave pets or children in the car, especially in the sun.

• Never let children ride bicycles that are too big for them.

• Prevent engine overheating by inspecting hoses and belts.

• Always wear a bicycle helmet, no matter how far you ride.

• Motorcycle helmets reduce the risk of brain injury by 67%.

[edit] Trampoline Summer Safety Tips

• Children younger than six should not use a trampoline.

• Children should remain in the center while bouncing.

• Limit trampoline use to one person on at a time.

• Children should not attempt somersaults on the trampoline.

• Remove access ladders from the sides of the trampoline.

• Children should be supervised at all times.

• Cover exposed steel frames and springs with a safety pad.

[edit] Emergency Room Visits

• One of the best ways to stay safe this summer is to wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating and skateboarding, and when riding scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and horses. Studies on bicycle helmets have shown they can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent.

• Use layers of protection to prevent a swimming pool tragedy. This includes placing barriers completely around your pool to prevent access, using door and pool alarms, closely supervising your child and being prepared in case of an emergency.

• Never bring charcoal grills indoors. Burning charcoal produces deadly carbon monoxide.

• When cooking outdoors with a gas grill, check the air tubes that lead into the burner for any blockage from insects, spiders, or food grease. Check grill hoses for cracking, brittleness, holes, and leaks. Make sure there are no sharp bends in the hose or tubing. If you ever detect a leak, immediately turn off the gas at the tank and don't attempt to light the grill until the leak is fixed. Newer grills and propane tanks have improved safety devices to prevent gas leaks.

• Make sure your home playground is safe. Falls cause 60 percent of playground injuries, so having a safe surface is critical. Concrete, asphalt or packed dirt surfaces are too hard. Use at least 9 inches of wood chips or mulch.

• Use softer-than standard baseballs, safety-release bases and batting helmets with face guards to reduce baseball-related injuries to children.

• If you are a soccer mom or dad, beware that movable soccer goals can fall over and kill children. Make sure the goal is anchored securely at all times and never allow anyone to climb on the net or goal framework or hang from the cross bar. Remove nets when the goals are not in use.

• To prevent serious injuries while using a trampoline, allow only one person on at a time, and do not allow somersaults. Use a shock-absorbing pad that completely covers the springs and place the trampoline away from structures and other play areas. Kids under 6-years-old should not use full-size trampolines.

• Don't allow a game of hide-n-seek to become deadly. CPSC has received reports of numerous suffocation deaths involving children who crawled inside old cedar chests, latch-type freezers and refrigerators, iceboxes in campers, clothes dryers and picnic coolers. Childproof old appliances, warn children not to play inside them.

• If summer plans include camping and you want heat inside your tent or camper, use one of the new portable heaters that are equipped with an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS). If oxygen levels start to fall inside your tent or camper, the ODS automatically shuts down the heater before it can produce deadly levels of carbon monoxide (CO). Do not attempt to use alternative sources of heat or power to warm a tent or camper. Traditional camping heaters, charcoal grills, camping lanterns, and gas generators also can cause CO poisoning.

• Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of open windows. Guards should be installed in children's bedrooms, parents' bedrooms, and other rooms where young children spend time. Or, install window stops that permit windows to open no more than 4 inches. Whenever possible, open windows from the top - not the bottom. Also, keep furniture away from windows to discourage children from climbing near windows.

• Summer also means yard work. When mowing, keep small children out of the yard, and turn the mower off if children enter the area. If the lawn slopes, mow across the slope with the walk-behind rotary mower, never up and down. With a riding mower, drive up and down the slope, not across it. Never carry children on a riding mower.