Thanksgiving Holiday Safety Tips To Remember

Tips to enjoy your Thanksgiving with Friends and Family without worrying about hazards

By, Robert Box

The United States is preparing for another quickly approaching Thanksgiving Holiday. Unfortunately, reports emerge each year of food poisoning, fires and incidents while traveling.

By taking time to read these simple Thanksgiving safety tips, food, friends, family and football can be enjoyed with peace of mind.

Travel Hazards

The busiest travel days in the United States each year are in the days surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday.  With the anticipation of celebrating with loved ones, travelers don’t always concentrate on arriving at their destination safely. 

Try to keep these travel tips in mind:

• Don’t drink and drive.
• Resist distracted driving.  This includes texting or talking on phones, eating food, and even talking to passengers while driving.
• Make sure an emergency kit is stocked and available for use in the vehicle.  First aid supplies as well as a well-stocked breakdown kit to change flat tires and other minor repairs should be included in the kit.  Don’t forget flares or reflective triangles as well as blankets if traveling in colder climates.
• Ensure the vehicle is checked and maintained by your mechanic well before embarking on the journey.  Ensure the fuel tank is full before departure.
• Check the weather forecast before departure, especially if driving.
• Timing is everything, whether driving or flying.  Choose a travel day that is not traditionally heavily traveled.  If travel can be avoided the Wednesday prior to, and the Sunday following Thanksgiving, the most holiday travel congestion can be avoided.

Dress for Safety on Flights

• Loose clothing helps avoid blood flow restriction and deep vein thrombosis. For longer flights, get up periodically to stretch and limber up.
• Wearing layers can help sustain comfort on flights with fluctuating climates, and doing so can provide safety benefits as well.  In the event of a fire during evacuation, full-length sleeves and pants can minimize skin damage from burns. Extra loose clothing can be utilized as a mask to cover the nose and mouth during a fire to protect from smoke inhalation.
• Wear natural fibers. Clothes made of natural fibers offer better fire protection than synthetic fibers, which melt to skin when heated. Choose clothes made of cotton, linen, wool, denim or leather. Avoid clothes made of nylon, polyester or rayon.
• Choose footwear wisely. Flip-flops can slow evacuation, get caught in wreckage, and can trip you up when you are evacuating, not to mention offering little to protect feet from burns. Flat shoes with closed toe enclosures are appropriate footwear for flight.

Food Poisoning

Observe these tips to prevent infections from bacteria and keep the Thanksgiving meal safe for friends and family:

• Safely thawing turkey is important.  Frozen turkey can stay safe almost indefinitely.  However, as soon as it begins to thaw, any bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to grow again. 
• Use a refrigerator to safely thaw the turkey (About 24 hours for each 4 pounds).
• Turkeys should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 °F.
• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours after serving.

Fire Hazards

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the average number of cooking fires on Thanksgiving is three times that of a normal day. 

Here are some tips to prevent fires:

• Never leave food, grease or oils cooking on the stove-top unattended. 
• Don’t use water to attempt to extinguish grease fires.  If a grease fire starts, remove the heat source, if possible, and cover the fire with a lid or baking soda.
• Keep flammables away from heat sources like the stove.  Food wrappers, pot holders, decorations, paper towels and other flammable materials should be kept away from heat sources.
• Children should be blocked from hot stoves and ovens, and if possible, kept out of the kitchen altogether.
• Point stove-top pot handles away from the front of the stove.  Orienting the handles in this way will prevent pots from being accidentally knocked over and scalding bystanders.
• Long sleeves and dangly, loose clothing should not be worn while cooking as it can easily catch fire.

When preparing to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, keep safety in mind.  Whether preparing to travel or getting ready to prepare food, make sure to give yourself plenty of time to plan and execute the task without hurrying. 

Safety First Consulting helps businesses identify OSHA compliance issues in their workplaces, manage their safety programs, and we become accountable for the results.  In addition to offering custom written safety programs for companies, Safety First Consulting provides required safety training, industrial hygiene sampling, noise sampling, and workplace inspections.