Tips to Avoid Thanksgiving Accidents

(AF.mil)

Holidays include a lot of hustle and bustle, but being careless this Thanksgiving could land you in the emergency room if you don’t take the proper precautions.

Dr. Tom Tallman, an emergency room physician at the Cleveland Clinic, said the main culprit on Thanksgiving that sends people to the ER is germs.

“You’ve got more people in your little kitchen, not just you,” Tallman said. “You’re using every shelf in the oven filled, and things are on timers and in and out. So, you’ve got to make sure your hands are protected.”

Tallman said to decrease your risk of burns, avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing while cooking – a dangling sleeve can easily catch on fire.

For the safety of the children in the house, he suggests making the areas near ovens and stoves a “kids-free zone.”

Be sure to keep pot handles inwards toward the back burners to reduce the risk of knocking them over.

In addition to burns, Tallman said he sees plenty of cuts from people being careless while slicing bread or vegetables.

Also in the top reasons for hospital visits on Thanksgiving? Stomach trouble.

“If you’re at a table all of that stuff is just kind of laying out there, you know, be careful about anything that’s got butter or mayonnaise or anything in it that’s been on the counter for a long time,” he said. “All of that is going to be a risk for staph or things that are going to make you acutely sick and vomit that same day.”