Tips for Keeping Your Summer Safe and Fun

Nothing sucks the fun out of summer festivities like a trip to the hospital.  You’ve heard me say it before but it’s important enough to repeat:  Preventing injury is as important to health as preventing illness.   Brushing up on a few safety tips can help you and your loved stay healthy and maximize your summertime fun.

1)     Food Safety:  Technically food poisoning isn’t an injury, but you can end up in the hospital all the same. Either way, it’s not safe and definitely not fun. Doctors usually see more food borne illnesses during the summer. Outdoor cooking means most people don’t have easy access to germ killing amenities like  easy refrigeration or water for hand washing.  Add  heat loving bacteria that can  flourish in food and you have a recipe for disaster.

These types of illnesses might make you laugh when you see them  played out in a movie, but they pose a serious health risk, especially to the very young, old, and anyone with a compromised immune system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates almost 50 million people get sick with food borne illnesses every year.  About 128,000 people require hospitalization and 3,000 die.   Remembering a few wellness boosting habits while cooking outdoor can keep your meals fun before, during, and after.

• Keep food cold until ready to use. When possible keep it in the refrigerator.  If not, keep it in a cooler and keep the cooler in the shade, out of direct sunlight.
• Keep everything clean.  Use separate platters and utensils for raw and cooked food. Wash your hands after handling raw meat.  Use separate prepping utensils, cutting boards, etc. for raw meat and produce. If you’re cooking away from home, for example at a park, remember to bring extra water  for cleaning.
• After food is cooked keep it hot until you’re ready to eat it. If you’re at home you can put it in a warm oven or use a chafing dish. Chafing dishes also work well if you’re cooking away from home.  The edge of the grill, which is usually cooler than the center, offers another easy alternative.

For more tips on keeping your food safe while cooking out visit FoodSafety.gov

2)    Water safety: Everyday approximately ten people die from unintentional drowning. It’s the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. For children under 15 years old it’s the number two cause.  Following a few safety tips can decrease the risk of it happening to you or your loved ones.

• Supervise children when they’re in or  around water. This means make sure at least one adult always has each child in their line of site at all times.
• Don’t drink and swim. It can be as deadly as drinking and driving.
• Don’t swim alone. If you get into trouble it’s helpful to have someone around who can get help.
• Learn to recognize when someone is drowning. It doesn’t always look dramatic the way you see it on TV. About half of all children who drown do so while an adult is close by.  For a good description of what drowning really looks like read, “Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning.”  

Safety habits make a nice addition to any personal wellness toolkit.  Don’t risk ruining your vacation with a preventable illness or injury.   Keep your summer fun and the memories positive by staying safe and healthy. Be well.