Suva tips for a safe August 1
Fireworks not only make children's hearts beat faster, adults can also hardly escape the fascination of the spectacle. But watch out!
But the colorful rockets, volcanoes and firecrackers harbor dangers: Around 260 accidents involving fireworks are recorded each year. Between 2009 and 2013, there were even five accidents that ended in a disability pension and two others with fatal consequences, as Suva reports.
This affects men significantly more often than women (80% to 20%). People between 20 and 30 (37%) and between 40 and 50 (24%) are particularly frequently affected.
36% of the injuries are burns: Most often they affected the hand (35%) and then followed by the lower extremities (30%). In 23% of the injuries, hearing was involved. In 12% of the injuries, they were superficial injuries and in 8% they were open wounds.
These consequences could simply be avoided. The Tips from Suva for a safe August 1:
- Only burn legal fireworks, do not tinker with your own creations.
- Have the fireworks ready in a safe place.
- Read the instructions for use in good time (still in daylight) and comply with them.
- For rockets, use the launchers available at points of sale.
- Never set off fireworks in a crowd of people.
- Keep a safe distance of at least ten meters.
- Do not approach a dud for at least 10 minutes and never light it twice.
By the way - in many regions of Switzerland there are Forest fire risk. Anyone who wants to know whether they are allowed to light fires in their region can do so on the corresponding Map of the Federal Office for the Environment.
