Halloween Safety Tips: Costume Choices to Avoid Accidents & Injuries
With fall officially here, many children and adults are busy selecting the perfect costume for Halloween. Children enjoy dressing up as their favorite superhero or comic book character for trick or treating with friends, while adults often go all out with scary or outlandish costumes designed to get attention or maybe win them honorable mention in Halloween contests. When dressing up, it is important to keep in mind a few Halloween safety tips that can help you avoid serious accidents and injuries. Whether you buy something online, from a local costume shop, or assemble it yourself, follow these tips to make sure your costume is safe.
Halloween Safety Tips: Children’s Costumes
According to Consumer Affairs, Americans spend as much as eight billion dollars on Halloween costumes each year. While many parents opt to make their child’s costume, others rely on local retailers to find just the right outfit that satisfies their young one, while fitting into the family budget. While how your child appears is a consideration, your bigger concern should be making sure their costume is safe. An ABC news report on Halloween costume safety states that burn injuries are a consideration, as are slip and fall injuries and wounds caused by costume props. Follow these Halloween safety tips to help ensure your child has fun, while still remaining safe:
- Make sure any packaged costumes are flame retardant
- Make sure the costume fits correctly, and is neither too loose or too tight
- If the costume contains a mask, make sure your child can see and breath properly with it on
- Make sure your child’s costume has light reflectors to increase their visibility at night
- Use caution when choosing props such as swords or spear, which could result in injuries and are generally not allowed in schools
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Halloween Safety Tips: Adult Costumes
Whether you need a costume for scaring neighborhood trick or treaters, for house parties with friends, or for events at your favorite club or tavern, there are safety concerns adults should be aware of as well that could put them at risk for accidents and injuries. Follow these Halloween safety tips to help ensure your own safety:
- Use care when selecting face and body cosmetics and kits designed to simulate actual wounds. Do a patch test first to check your reaction
- Be particularly cautious when using colored contact lenses, which Consumer Affairs states can lead to eye infections and even permanent blindness
- If using a mask, take it off when walking and avoid costumes that drag on the ground, which could increase your risk for slip and fall accidents
In addition to the Halloween safety tips above, use common sense when wearing your costume out in public. While people expect costumed characters on Halloween, certain types of costumes could leave others questioning your intent. According to a September 2016 USA Today report, a recent rash of child abduction threats made by people wearing clown masks in several states, including South Carolina, have prompted law enforcement officials to discourage citizens from choosing these costumes this Halloween.
Get Help From a Charleston, SC Personal Injury Lawyer
If you suffer an accidental injury, such as a burn or slip and fall, or have an allergic reaction to a Halloween costume, contact Anastopoulo Law Firm today. Our personal injury attorney can advise you on how to hold responsible parties accountable, such as negligent costume makers, retailers, and party hosts, to help you get the compensation you need to recover.
Call or text 803-222-2222 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form