Author: Daniel C. Shea

Wow, it seems like forever since I last muttered those words at the door of a total stranger while balancing a bag of candy in one hand and my many costume accessories in the other.  Whether or not you really get into the holiday by sewing a costume together yourself of an ornate or simple design or run to the store the day before so your child won’t be left out of the festivities, as a parent you tend to feel an obligation toward making sure your little prince or princess is dressed for success.  I remember when I was younger combining various accessories from the Halloween aisle to make a costume and as I got older it became a quick look through the closet at home to find what I could throw together the day before the scout party or school festivities.

In reference to an article published by ACEP (American College of Emergency Physicians) many of the injuries that occur while trick-or-treating can be prevented by simple precautions.  Most of the safety measures I’m going to share with you are common sense and you’re going to say, “I do that anyways”, yet a few of these you may not have thought about or realized.  Overall my goal in writing this article is to heighten your awareness of what you should be looking for and how to prevent safety issues before they arise.

Medical Survival Consultants strongly recommends that:

BEFORE your child eats any candy check all of the wrappers for any openings or pin holes and make sure that they are all in their original wrapper avoiding fruit entirely (unless in professional packaging without any openings)

While walking from house to house or back and forth to your vehicle, your child remains on the sidewalks or grass (left side, facing traffic) if at all possible avoiding walking in the street.  Remember unless you are in a foot traffic only area, the streets are still going to have vehicle traffic so make sure you pay attention to and follow the rules of the road (cross walks, do not walk lights….)

Children are advised prior to going out that they are not allowed to accept rides with strangers or go to houses that the accompanying adult is not familiar with.  At least one adult should chaperone each group of children and make sure that no one separates from the rest.

When compiling costumes that they don’t pose a tripping hazard.  If the pants are too long or too baggy you should either hem them up or as a temporary fix use safety pins or tape to make them shorter and bring in the waist to save the child both embarrassment of loosing their pants as well as falling.  Other tripping hazards that we don’t recommend are high heels or over-sized shoes.  There are many great alternatives such as fancy flats and covers for normal size shoes.

If your child needs a mask make sure they are able to see what is going on around them with-out any trouble, if not it is advised that you use either face paint or go with-out.

The costume is not flammable and preferably flame-resistant.  Such materials include nylon and polyester for wigs and beards.  If you are purchasing materials at the store, the packaging and/or manufacturer should be able to provide you with this information.

Your child is visible at night.  If possible you should avoid using dark colors for costumes and make sure parts of your son or daughter’s outfit include reflective tape and/or glow sticks or other glow in the dark material.  If you don’t want to take away from the costume you can always attach glow sticks to their candy bag or bucket or even to the back of their costume where they won’t feel it is taking away from their appearance.  The best thing to do is think about what would be visible to a car from a distance before they get to the point of passing.

All accessories are flexible and/or dull enough that your knight or fair maiden won’t get injured if they fall on them.  If they want to have fun playing around in character you also want to make sure that neither they nor their friends will get injured by any accessories.
Home owners make sure that their yards are free of any garden hoses or other factors that could pose a tripping hazard or other danger.  Also make sure that any pets are kept inside to protect them from the chaos of traffic and from biting any trick-or-treaters that could potentially startle them.

Home owners be careful with any decorations such as candles or spooky creations that they can’t get knocked over by a trick-or-treater or pose a tripping hazard.

If you are unfamiliar with your neighborhood or it poses too much risk with traffic or other factors, a great alternative is organizational or community activities such as trick-or-treating at the mall or as a community group or even in another neighborhood.  As always along with the Medical Survival Consultants staff, I wish you the spookiest and safest Halloween.  Don’t hesitate to contact our office for further information or questions, we are located in the heart of the New Bedford and Dartmouth area of Massachusetts and easily accessible if you are looking to pick up any safety materials for you or your organization.

This column provides advice and should not be used to replace the professional recommendations from your qualified healthcare professional, campus or workplace rules and regulations or any other agency.  To better treat your conditions and or situation in a manner that is specific to your needs and medical history, you should seek the guidance of your primary physician or specialist.  For those seeking further information that does not require the knowledge of your healthcare provider may contact Medical Survival Consultants at 508-997-2500 for more information.

Medical Survival Consultants

Medical Survival Consultants (MSC); a healthcare and safety training company specializing in various areas of healthcare provider, industrial, workplace and community level certifications (CPR, First Aid, ServSafe and many more titles), training (OSHA: Workplace Safety, Hazard Communication, Lockout/Tag out, Air Quality, Blood Borne Pathogens and more titles), continuing education (Infection Control for the Dental Healthcare Provider), workshops and seminars (Child Care, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Emergency Care as well as many topics not listed).

MSC is always adding new courses and improving the current selection.  There are many departments that make up Medical Survival Consultants including healthcare continuing education, Industrial and workplace safety (OSHA), Healthcare Certifications, Nutrition and Dietary (restaurant and food service) and corporate workshops.

Providing regularly scheduled courses that are open to the general public is only one part of Medical Survival Consultants.  MSC travels and sets up at various companies and organizations to provide mandatory as well as recommended training on a regular basis and provides needed equipment and supplies through the product sales division.

Those seeking further information on the topics discussed by Medical Survival Consultants in their articles or on related topics are encouraged to call or email the MSC office.  Due to the wide variety of areas covered and variety of the MSC instructor’s specialties, if you are seeking medical or safety information all questions are welcome.  President & CEO; Dan Shea is proud to mention that the Medical Survival Consultants instructors are leaders in their areas of expertise and you will receive the most accurate information available. 

To contact Daniel C. Shea, the Medical Survival Consultants medical director, office manager or lead instructors, please use the contact information below.

Contact:
Daniel C. Shea
President & CEO
Medical Survival Consultants
86 Faunce Corner Rd, Suite 430
North Dartmouth, MA 02747
508-997-2500 (Office)
dan@dcshea.com (Dan Shea)
msc@dcshea.com (Office Main)
www.dcshea.com

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