Fireworks safety
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, national losses involving fireworks amount to 3 deaths and 10,527 injuries annually. Hand and finger injuries are the most common and account for 32 percent of all injuries. Head and eye injuries occur with about the same frequency, equaling 19 and 18 percent of total injuries.
Furthermore recent data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,revealed that 50% of all reported fireworks-related injuries from June 17-July 17, 2011, were to fingers, hands, and arms. These injuries included burns, lacerations, fractures, and traumatic amputation.
Of the finger, hand, and arm injuries, the majority of injuries were caused from accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers— the three firework-types most often used in a backyard environment. Accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and hand-held sparklers totaled 57% of all firework injuries (source: American Pyrotechnic Association).
A review of firework mishaps shows a variety of factors contribute to the typical mishap. Most pre-school age victims are injured by fireworks ignited by someone else, while older children who are injured are usually lighting the fireworks themselves. Children under age five are commonly hurt by rocket-type fireworks; small firecrackers and ground spinners injure the majority of children between the ages of 5 and 14. Most of the injuries associated with large, illegal firecrackers such as M-80's are to older teenagers or adults.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, national losses involving fireworks amount to 3 deaths and 10,527 injuries annually. Hand and finger injuries are the most common and account for 32 percent of all injuries. Head and eye injuries occur with about the same frequency, equaling 19 and 18 percent of total injuries.
Furthermore recent data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,revealed that 50% of all reported fireworks-related injuries from June 17-July 17, 2011, were to fingers, hands, and arms. These injuries included burns, lacerations, fractures, and traumatic amputation.
Of the finger, hand, and arm injuries, the majority of injuries were caused from accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers— the three firework-types most often used in a backyard environment. Accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and hand-held sparklers totaled 57% of all firework injuries (source: American Pyrotechnic Association).
A review of firework mishaps shows a variety of factors contribute to the typical mishap. Most pre-school age victims are injured by fireworks ignited by someone else, while older children who are injured are usually lighting the fireworks themselves. Children under age five are commonly hurt by rocket-type fireworks; small firecrackers and ground spinners injure the majority of children between the ages of 5 and 14. Most of the injuries associated with large, illegal firecrackers such as M-80's are to older teenagers or adults.
Get involved and spread the word
Speak to your local media, make stories such as this a holiday ritual, for the days leading up to July 4.
Fireworks danger stressed
Thursday, July 01, 2004
By NANCY H. GONTER [email protected]
NORTHAMPTON - Hand surgeon Jeffrey Wint isn't expecting a quiet Fourth of July weekend.
"Unfortunately, I face the prospect of being called in at any time," said Wint, who hopes to take in a parade and spend some time in his back yard during the holiday.
Dr. Wint, along with other medical professionals, law enforcement and fire officials yesterday held a press conference calling on area residents to "leave fireworks to the professionals." Members of the state police bomb squad exploded illegal fireworks using mannequins to show the damage they can cause.
A surgeon at the Hand Center of Western Massachusetts who works at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Wint said he has already seen hand injuries caused by fireworks this season.
In one case, a teenage boy was clenching a firecracker in his hand and it blew up before he threw it. The tip of his index finger had to be amputated. In another case, a 14-year-old boy didn't realize the cherry bomb in his hand was lit. He suffered burns to his palm, deep lacerations and several fractures.
"He has the prospect of months of therapy and rehabilitation in order to regain normal function," Wint said.
Of injuries to the hand and upper extremities, 57 percent are caused by fireworks, Wint said.
Patrick C. Lee, a trauma surgeon at Baystate Medical Center, said burn injuries are tragic for children and their families.
"They are a life-changing event. Burns and their treatment are painful, leave surgical and emotional scars, and most of all they are preventable," Lee said.
State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said many people ask him why children shouldn't play with sparklers.
"I ask them if they would give their children a lighter to play with. Sparklers can burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, three times the temperature of a lit match, and hot sparkler fires have ignited clothing, burned bare feet, poked eyes out and started tragic holiday fires," Coan said.
Coan noted that all fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts and it is illegal to bring fireworks into the state, even though they are legal in Connecticut and New Hampshire. It is also illegal to purchase fireworks on the Internet or through catalogs and have them delivered to homes in Massachusetts, he said.
"Remember, the use of fireworks by anyone other than a licensed professional is illegal," Coan said.
The press conference featured a table loaded with fireworks in colorful packaging, much of it clearly intended to attract children. The fireworks were seized by law enforcement authorities. Coan noted children 10-14 are at the greatest risk of fireworks injuries.
Fireworks can be deadly. In December 2003, a 45-year-old Gloucester woman died when fireworks ignited her Christmas tree, starting a house fire. In May 1997, a 26-year-old Watertown man was killed when lighting fireworks in a hallway. On July 4, 1993, a 27-year-old Framingham man was killed when his backyard fireworks exploded in his face, according to the state Department of Fire Services.
NFPA--FireworksSafetyTips.pdf
AAOS press release
ASSH fireworks safety
Hand Surgeons Agree:Leave Fireworks to the Professionals
The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) has urged the public to leave fireworks in the hands of the professionals.According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 38% of all reported fireworks-related injuries from June 22-July 22, 2001, were to fingers, hands, and arms. These injuries included burns, lacerations, fractures, and traumatic amputation.
Of the finger, hand, and arm injuries, the majority of injuries were caused from accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers— the three firework-types most often used in a backyard environment. Accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and hand-held sparklers totaled 57% of all firework injuries (source: American Pyrotechnic Association).
One solution that has been offered by the ASSH to individuals is to attend public fireworks displays, which are monitored for safety by a local fire department, rather than setting off fireworks near or around the home.
The following precautions should be taken when attending a public fireworks display:
Thursday, July 01, 2004
By NANCY H. GONTER [email protected]
NORTHAMPTON - Hand surgeon Jeffrey Wint isn't expecting a quiet Fourth of July weekend.
"Unfortunately, I face the prospect of being called in at any time," said Wint, who hopes to take in a parade and spend some time in his back yard during the holiday.
Dr. Wint, along with other medical professionals, law enforcement and fire officials yesterday held a press conference calling on area residents to "leave fireworks to the professionals." Members of the state police bomb squad exploded illegal fireworks using mannequins to show the damage they can cause.
A surgeon at the Hand Center of Western Massachusetts who works at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Wint said he has already seen hand injuries caused by fireworks this season.
In one case, a teenage boy was clenching a firecracker in his hand and it blew up before he threw it. The tip of his index finger had to be amputated. In another case, a 14-year-old boy didn't realize the cherry bomb in his hand was lit. He suffered burns to his palm, deep lacerations and several fractures.
"He has the prospect of months of therapy and rehabilitation in order to regain normal function," Wint said.
Of injuries to the hand and upper extremities, 57 percent are caused by fireworks, Wint said.
Patrick C. Lee, a trauma surgeon at Baystate Medical Center, said burn injuries are tragic for children and their families.
"They are a life-changing event. Burns and their treatment are painful, leave surgical and emotional scars, and most of all they are preventable," Lee said.
State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said many people ask him why children shouldn't play with sparklers.
"I ask them if they would give their children a lighter to play with. Sparklers can burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, three times the temperature of a lit match, and hot sparkler fires have ignited clothing, burned bare feet, poked eyes out and started tragic holiday fires," Coan said.
Coan noted that all fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts and it is illegal to bring fireworks into the state, even though they are legal in Connecticut and New Hampshire. It is also illegal to purchase fireworks on the Internet or through catalogs and have them delivered to homes in Massachusetts, he said.
"Remember, the use of fireworks by anyone other than a licensed professional is illegal," Coan said.
The press conference featured a table loaded with fireworks in colorful packaging, much of it clearly intended to attract children. The fireworks were seized by law enforcement authorities. Coan noted children 10-14 are at the greatest risk of fireworks injuries.
Fireworks can be deadly. In December 2003, a 45-year-old Gloucester woman died when fireworks ignited her Christmas tree, starting a house fire. In May 1997, a 26-year-old Watertown man was killed when lighting fireworks in a hallway. On July 4, 1993, a 27-year-old Framingham man was killed when his backyard fireworks exploded in his face, according to the state Department of Fire Services.
NFPA--FireworksSafetyTips.pdf
AAOS press release
ASSH fireworks safety
Hand Surgeons Agree:Leave Fireworks to the Professionals
The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) has urged the public to leave fireworks in the hands of the professionals.According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 38% of all reported fireworks-related injuries from June 22-July 22, 2001, were to fingers, hands, and arms. These injuries included burns, lacerations, fractures, and traumatic amputation.
Of the finger, hand, and arm injuries, the majority of injuries were caused from accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers— the three firework-types most often used in a backyard environment. Accidents involving firecrackers, bottle rockets, and hand-held sparklers totaled 57% of all firework injuries (source: American Pyrotechnic Association).
One solution that has been offered by the ASSH to individuals is to attend public fireworks displays, which are monitored for safety by a local fire department, rather than setting off fireworks near or around the home.
The following precautions should be taken when attending a public fireworks display:
- Obey safety barriers and ushers.
- Stay back a minimum of 500 feet from the launching site.
- Resist the temptation to pick up firework debris when the display is over. The debris may still be hot, or in some cases, the debris might be “live” and could still explode.
- Never give children hand-held sparklers. Sparklers cause 10% of all firework injuries (source: American Pyrotechnics Association)—and were associated with the most injuries to children under 5 years of age. (source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
