Whilst Halloween is lots of fun and trick or treat night is now firmly a date on the calendar it is a time when accidents can and do happen. Here at St Helens Law unfortunately we have seen over the years the darker side of the Halloween celebrations and sadly injuries directly related to the spooky festivities can last much longer than fright night itself.
Here’s our brief guide to staying safe this evening!
1. Check all costumes as to whether they are fire resistant!
Halloween costumes are a must for parties and trick or treating with the kids but are very often cheaply made and not from fire resistant materials. You may recall the news after Strictly star Claudia Winkleman’s daughter was burned by a costume that caught fire. Check and double check the labelling on such items of clothing and ensure that naked flames and candles are kept well away from the fun. Naked tealights in Pumpkins can be dangerous when little ones are about so why not use a pretend flame instead from a battery operated light? Props and accessories too can be dangerous with broomsticks and 3 pronged forks all posing a danger especially when being used by little hands.
2. Make up and face paints, spooky contact lenses.
No costume is complete without scary/spooky face paints or make up. Check labelling on such products as they could cause burns, rashes and allergic reactions if not checked or patch tested in advance. A big trend in recent years has been wearing contact lenses to finish off that scary look but not all products are as safe as they should be especially when ordering from the internet. Again read labels and if in doubt don’t wear them!
3. Road safety
Spooky costumes are by their very nature dark in colour and non reflective. If you are taking your little ones out trick or treating finish off their costume with a reflective band or stickers to ensure road users can see them and make everyone as safe as possible whilst enjoying all the fun! Keep little ones close and remind them of the road crossing code as in all the excitement it’s so easy to forget!
4. Watch where you are going
We’ve many years of experience here at St Helens law in dealing with tripping and slipping claims so know how all too often someone can easily trip and fall in broad daylight. At night defects in the pavements or road are not as obvious – take a torch out and take extra care when walking around at night especially with children who will not be used to being out in the dark!
But…………most of all have lots of spooky fun and don’t let this Halloween become a nightmare!