Category Archives: Outdoor Safety Tips

Beach Accessories, Healthy Ideas, Outdoor Safety Tips, Shade Solutions

Today is Don’t Fry Day! Make Sure That Your Skin is Protected.

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Beach Umbrellas

Today (May 27th, 2011) is Don’t Fry Day hosted by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. With summer officially beginning, this is a perfect day to remind everyone to take precious care of their skin during the blazing summer months. Approximately 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers and 65 percent of melanomas are associated with exposure to UV radiation from the sun. Following these easy tips and guidelines will drastically lower your chances of developing skin cancer, and, as an added bonus, keep your skin looking beautiful for a lifetime.

  • Avoid sunburns and intentional tanning. This includes exposure to the sun as well as tanning beds.
  • Use sunscreen liberally and often when spending time outside. You should use a sunscreen with a minimum of 15 SPF when outside. People with fair skin and children should select a higher SPF. Choose a sunscreen that is broad spectrum and protects against both UVB and UVA radiation. Always reapply after swimming or excessive sweating, and follow the guidelines on the bottle to reapply every few hours even without activity. (Source: American Melanoma Foundation)
  • Wear protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses. Traditional clothing (including bathing suits) offers less than 8 SPF when wet. Unlike sunscreen, protective clothing does not wash off. Sunscreen should still be applied to exposed areas of skin. Wide-brimmed hats will offer an additional layer or shad protection to your face, and sunglasses will protect your eyes from harmful rays.
  • Protect your children! The AMF reports that 1 in 5 people will develop skin cancer during their lifetime. Childhood sunburns can definitely develop cancer-related damage into adult hood. In fact, 80% of  lifetime damage occurs during childhood. Always keep your children protected. SPF 30-50 is ideal for kids and should not be reserved exclusively for the beach. Make sure that your kids are protected during sporting events, outside play time, and even recess.
  • Utilize the shade whenever possible. Staying out of direct sun light can aid in preventing damaging sun burns. Trees offer a shade solution while camping or hiking. Beach umbrellas make a great option while spending time at the beach. Some umbrella materials offer more than shade. Sunbrella®, for example, offers umbrella canopies that offer 98% UV protection. This offers an outstanding level of protection that, when used with the options above, ensures that you can spend time in the sun without risking lasting skin damage.
Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

4 Tips for Choosing the Safest Swing Set Location

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Swing Sets

Before constructing your new backyard swing set this spring, make sure to think carefully about where the best and safest location will be for the playground equipment.  Use the following 4 guidelines to help you choose just the right spot:

  1. Consider the ground — Level ground is the ideal place to situate a backyard swing set.  Equipment placed on ground that is uneven or sloping can cause a swing set to tip when in use.
  2. Check the surroundings — Avoid placing swing set equipment near obstacles or hazards like trees and tree stumps, low tree limbs, exposed roots, wires, fences, large rocks, bricks, and concrete.
  3. Create a safety zone — Ensure that there will be at least 6 feet of space around all swing set equipment.  Increase that number for the area in front of and behind swings.
  4. Keep it cool — Metal and dark-colored slides and surfaces get extraordinarily hot and can burn skin if they are placed in direct sunlight.  Position the backyard swing set equipment so that slides and any dark surfaces will be out of direct sunlight for most of the day.

Planning ahead and carefully choosing the safest and most suitable location for your backyard swing set is the first significant contribution you make when it comes to playground safety.  Once your swing set is in place, it’s hard to go back and move it to a better location, so take some time to be sure that it’s right from day one.

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

7 Steps for Safe Swing Sets

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Safe Swing Sets

Before you know it, your kids will be clamoring to get outside and play on their backyard swing set.  So, now is the time to check the swing set and equipment to be sure that it’s ready for another year of heavy use.  Follow these 7 steps to ensure a safe start to the season:

  1. Check the overall condition of the swing set — signs of wear and tear include broken or missing parts, bent tubing or pipes, splintering or decaying wood surfaces, and rusted metal surfaces.  Replace worn or damaged parts and repair surfaces as needed.
  2. Examine the condition of swing seats, chains, ropes, cables, and other swing set equipment and accessories for wear.  Replace worn or damaged equipment.
  3. Check and tighten all the nuts and bolts on your swing set.
  4. Make sure the protective caps on the ends of bolts are still in place.
  5. Oil all the moving metal parts with a squirt or two of WD40.
  6. If your swing set includes a sandbox, replace old sand with new, or ensure that existing sand is free from debris before allowing kids to play in it.
  7. Replace the protective surface beneath the swing set with new material or replenish what is already there.

Ideally, you should check your backyard swing set for safety every month, especially if your kids subject it to heavy use.  Doing so takes only a few minutes and goes a long way toward preventing common swing set injuries and accidents.

Outdoor Entertaining, Outdoor Lighting Ideas, Outdoor Safety Tips

Path Lights Offer Safe Passage

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Path Lighting

As the evenings grow darker earlier, it’s important to consider safety in and around your home.  When you come home from work or when guests arrive for dinner, be sure that the paths and walkways leading up to and around your home are properly and safely illuminated.  Path Lights help prevent tripping and falling accidents, especially when there are steps or uneven ground to negotiate.

Aside from providing safe passage, path lights add a warm and welcoming touch to your property.  They can also dramatically highlight your favorite outdoor living spaces, and protect your garden beds from being accidentally trampled by visitors who are unable to see clearly where they are walking.

Outdoor Entertaining, Outdoor Lighting Ideas, Outdoor Safety Tips

Patio Lamps Offer Safe Outdoor Lighting

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Outdoor Lamps

As the days gradually grow shorter, the sunlight fades a little sooner each day.  You don’t necessarily need to head for the light of the indoors, though, if you want to enjoy the cool evening air.  But, it’s not a good idea to drag the table lamp from your living room to the outside.  Outdoor patio lamps make it possible to safely catch up on your reading, work on a project, or share a good conversation without straining your eyes in the dusky evening light.  Outdoor patio lamps are weather resistant and come with a weighted base to prevent the lamps from tipping in windy weather.  Outdoor lamps also come equipped with a weather-proof grounded cord and plug.  Plus, they are just as attractive as decorative indoor lamps, so they fit in beautifully with all styles of outdoor decor.