It is highly recommended that handling fireworks be left to trained professionals. Sparklers, fire crackers and bottle rockets can all cause burns, fractures, lacerations, and even traumatic amputation.
Instead of attempting backyard firework shows, we encourage you to only view public firework displays which are closely monitored by fire departments. When attending a public display, please take these precautions:
More than 74,000 people are injured each year by the improper handling of lawn mowers. The blades of a mower can eject an object at speeds as fast as 100 miles per hour. When body parts come near these speeding blades, traumatic injuries often occur. In fact, 25% of mower-related injuries result in amputation of the hand or foot.
The most frequent types of injuries result from direct contact with a blade, which may be rotating or jammed. Injuries often occur when the ground is damp or grass is wet. They can also be caused by several other unsafe practices: passengers on a riding mower, using a riding mower in the wrong direction (up/down a slope instead of across a slope or vice versa), pulling backward, mowing while wearing improper footwear, or using hand or foot to unclog blades.
Though many injuries result from incorrect use of lawnmowers, proper use is perfectly safe. Follow these Do’s and Don’ts to ensure safety.
Do:
Don’t:
Though it may not seem like a dangerous activity, gardening results in more than 400,000 accidents each year. When performing any task in the garden, pay special attention to keeping your hands out of harm’s way.
One of the best ways to avoid gardening-related hand conditions is by the consistent use of gloves, which prevent blistering, sun damage, and injuries to nails. In addition, gloves protect skin from pesticides, fertilizers and soil-dwelling bacteria and fungus. If you happen to have a cut or lesion on skin that’s exposed to soil, there’s significant risk of an infection developing. The best protection are leather gloves, which protect from sharp objects, snakes, rodents, insects, poison ivy and other skin irritants.
Many gardening tasks involve repetitive motions, which can cause irritation to nerves, tendons and skin. These tasks include raking, digging, trimming hedges and bushes and planting bulbs. Try to vary tasks every 15 minutes, with brief rests in between, so the same muscle groups don’t get overly-used.
Instead of digging in soil with your hand, use a small shovel or rake to avoid lacerations or punctures from sharp objects that may be buried in soil.
Ensure safety by making sure that you choose the proper tool for the job you’re doing. When you buy gardening tools such as shears, pruners or loppers, look for ones that have a safety lock. Keep all gardening tools out of children’s reach.
In this case, the word “posture” does not just refer to your body, but to the angle at which your wrist is positioned while using gardening tools. It’s best to handle tools with the wrist in a relaxed position, which allows your grip to have maximum strength.
Though tools that feature grips for fingers may seem better, they are generally made in one size only. If the size is not appropriate for you, the grips could cause calluses, pain and soreness.
If a minor cut occurs, bleeding will often stop on its own simply by applying pressure with a clean cloth. If, however, bleeding does not stop after 15 minutes of constant pressure, you should visit a doctor or emergency room. You should also seek medical assistance if you experience numbness or tingling in the fingertips, are unsure if your tetanus immunization is up to date, or if you are not able to fully cleanse the wound with clean water and mild soap.
During the Halloween season, hand injuries caused by pumpkin carving are common in both children and adults. Injury can be avoided by following a few simple safety tips.
The first step should be making sure that the tools you’ll use are all thoroughly washed and dried. Any moisture on your hands, carving tools or the surface can cause slippage, which may lead to injury.
Many patients we see are adolescents who’ve been entrusted to carve without supervision. Children should never be allowed to carve and adolescents should always be supervised. It may be a good idea for the child to draw a face on the pumpkin and clean out the insides. When adults carve, they should be sure to cut away from themselves and make only small, controlled cuts.
Although sharper tools are often recommended for safety, the same is not true for pumpkin carving. Injuries can happen when a sharp knife becomes stuck in the skin of the pumpkin. When you pull it out, an injury can easily occur if your hand is in the wrong place. It’s also common for accidents to happen when the knife goes through to the other side, where your hand may be steadying the pumpkin.
Special kits have small, serrated knives that are more effective because they don’t get stuck in the thick skin of the pumpkin. These knives are also preferable because they’re not sharp enough to cause serious cuts.
If a minor cut should occur, bleeding should stop after applying direct pressure to the cut with a clean cloth. If the bleeding does not stop after 15 minutes of constant pressure, you may have to visit the emergency room.
Every year, snow blowers are the cause of hundreds of injuries that result in maiming or amputation of fingers or hands. Follow safety guidelines when handling snow blowers to avoid unnecessary injury.
Injuries most commonly occur when there is a large accumulation (more than 6 inches) of heavy, wet snow and the temperature is 28 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Severe injuries can occur when snow clogs the chute and the user tries to clear it with their hands. Accidents also happen when the operator believes that the machine is off, though the blades are still rotating.
