Holiday Decorations Safety Tips

 

Twinkly lights, candles, holiday trees and plants, ornaments and other decorations are an important part of holiday celebrations. Besides being festive and fun, the decorations your family brings out every year can help children feel connected to family traditions. To help make sure your decorations are safe, the American Academy of Pediatrics offers some tips:

• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. The needles should be hard to pull off, and should not break when you bend them. When you tap the tree on the ground, only a few needles should fall off. Cut a few inches off the bottom of the trunk before putting it in the stand, and be sure to keep the stand filled with water.

• If you have an artificial tree, make sure it's labeled "Fire Resistant."

• When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree.

• Check all lights before hanging them on a tree or in your home, even if you have just purchased them. Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.

• Be cautious about trimmings that may contain lead. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded materials. Light strands may contain lead in the bulb sockets and wire coating, sometimes in high amounts. Make sure your lights are out of reach of young children who might try to put lights in their mouths, and wash your hands after handling them.  

• Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them. Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.

• When lighting candles, remove flammable materials from the area, and place the candles where they will not be knocked over. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Do not use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. For more fire safety tips, listen to our podcast on "Holiday Fire Safety".

• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable. Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to prevent them from swallowing or inhaling small pieces. Avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a young child to eat them.

• Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass "angel hair." Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.

• Remove all wrapping papers, bags, paper, ribbons and bows from tree and fireplace areas after gifts are opened. These items can pose suffocation and choking hazards to a small child, or can cause a fire if near flame.

• Keep potentially poisonous holiday plant decorations, including mistletoe berries, Jerusalem cherry, and holly berry, away from children.

Last Updated

6/8/2018

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics (Copyright © 2017)

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Holiday-Decorations-Safety-Tips.aspx

Accidents and First Aid

     The parents of an injured student will be notified of the accident/injury by the principal/administration or the principal/administration's designee as soon as reasonably possible, taking into consideration such factors as the apparent severity of the accident/injury and the priority of providing assistance to the student. If an incident results in a medical condition or injury which can be reasonably known to the appropriate supervisory faculty/staff member and/or the principal, the school and/or its staff are authorized to render reasonable basic first aid if such direct medical assistance would, in the opinion of the school, serve to minimize the severity of the injured person's condition. In addition, staff may secure professional diagnosis and/or treatment if such action, in the opinion of the school, appears to be reasonably warranted. The school and school officials shall be expressly held harmless from any liability costs or expenses associated with the professional diagnosis and/or any treatment or first aid provided (including but not limited to the cost of transportation), such costs or expenses being the responsibility of the injured party or, if a student, the student's parents. The school nurse or principal’s designee will record the circumstances of all accidents, (e.g., date, time, injured party, immediate cause, involved parties, supervisory facility/staff member, treatment/action taken, etc.) in the individual student health record. A separate Diocesan Accident Report Form (see Appendix F-7) is completed for all significant accidents or injuries that may require treatment outside of school. A copy of the accident report is retained as a separate, internal school record, with the original forwarded to the Diocesan Insurance Risk manager at the Chancery within 72 hours of the accident or as soon as possible in the case of major accidents and/or injuries.

Illness

Our school provides a health office, apart from the student population, where children who become ill or injured can be cared for following Virginia School Health Guidelines. Children with fevers, contagious, or infectious diseases will be sent home promptly and excluded from school while in that condition, per Virginia Department of Health regulations. Once the student is confirmed to be free of communicable illness by a healthcare provider or is fever free/symptom free for 24 hours without taking anti-fever medications, the student may return to school. When a student is requesting a waiver from participating in Physical Education classes and/or recess, parents are required to submit a written statement from their child’s physician which states any activity restrictions with regard to participation in Physical Education classes and/or recess. The statement is expected to include a specific time frame for the activity restrictions.

Medication Administration Overview:

Medication Administration Overview Detailed Diocesan medication policies and procedures can be accessed on the Office of Catholic Schools website, in the school clinic and in the appendix of this document. All school clinic, administrators and staff are required to administer medication within the framework of the procedures outlined in Diocesan policy and summarized here. All prescription and over the counter (OTC) medications may be administered during the school day under the following conditions: When the need for administration of medicines during school hours has been confirmed by the school nurse/health assistant (or the school administration) 
After the first dose of any medication has been given at home; When the parent / guardian provides and transports the medication to and from school and the medication is given directly to the school nurse/health assistant, or a senior member of the school administration; When there is a health care provider’s written order signed by the parent / guardian requesting the school to administer medication or to permit the student to self-administer the medication; When the medication is brought to the school in its original container stating the name of the student, the dosage and method of administration prescribed by a physician. It is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility to notify the school of any changes to the original prescription. The new prescription must also be brought to the school in the original container as stated above; When the appropriate medication authorization form (Appendix) has been completed, signed and accompanies the medication; For any medication, parents must document the number of tablets or dosages to be secured for administration by authorized school personnel. If tablets are to be divided, the parent or guardian is responsible for dividing the tablets that are to be divided in order to achieve their child’s proper dosage. All OTC and prescription medications are to be kept locked in the clinic/school office and be administered by the school nurse, clinic aide, principal or trained designee. No student is to carry/possess medications, without appropriate medical authorization. No medication will be administered unless the school has received a signed copy of the Medication Authorization Form (Appendix). OTC medications do not require a health care provider’s signature unless the medication is required for four (4) or more consecutive days. It shall be the student’s responsibility to come to the clinic/school office at the appropriate time for medication unless a health care provider or parent indicates in writing that the student cannot do this. Students are NOT permitted to self-medicate. The school does not assume responsibility for medications taken independently by the student. Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis for students who demonstrate the capability to carry and self-administer emergency life-saving medications (e.g. inhaler, Epipen. 49 Within one week after expiration of the effective date on the order, or on the last day of school, the parent guardian must personally collect any unused portion of the medication. Medications not claimed within that period will be destroyed.