Christmas is here again what possibly could go wrong

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Christmas is here again, what could possibly go wrong?

We are at that time of year once again and we all know that Christmas can be a magical time of the year for our youngsters and the more mature too.

Alcohol starts to flow then accidents start to happen, usually in the kitchen with people getting burnt or having mishaps with sharp knives.

According to RoSPA people visiting the local A&E dept rise by more than 80,000 in the UK and over 6,000 of those get admitted, that’s a staggering statistic at any time of the year.

Preparing and cooking the festive feast has its hazards

With the Kitchen in action and many hands in the kitchen preparing the festive feast it can be a hotbed for accidents with around 1 in 10 people getting seriously burned in the kitchen with hot fats or hot liquids and around 1 in 5 people getting a serious cut whilst preparing the Christmas vegetables. 

Many of those having accidents do not have any idea what to do when these accidents occur. A first aid qualification such as a 1-day Emergency First Aid at Work course would give them the knowledge and skills to administer first aid treatment and get them off to A&E.

Burns are not only painful they can scar and very easily become infected and this can make it very much worse.

How safe are our children’s toys?

Children’s electronic toys have to follow strict safety regulations these days and have screw-down battery covers or a battery hatch which is difficult for a youngster to undo, but those musical Christmas cards and those annoying musical hats are not covered by this legislation. Quite easy for a small child to ingest one of those batteries.

Those musical Christmas cards and musical hats have Button batteries and these are shiny and attract our young children and quite easily can be swallowed and they can kill a child within a few hours of ingestion if not detected and taken to the  A&E department immediately.

Another recent fad that’s gathering momentum across the country is these small powerful magnets and children use these magnets to mimic cheek and tongue studs that come with disastrous consequences if swallowed. There have been a big increase in admissions over the year and most A&Es are seeing at least one a week now.

Hospitals across the UK are noticing an increase in children swallowing button batteries and small magnets with some being fatal.

christmas

We are in such a rush to get things done.

Our festive meals can be a great cause of food poisoning at Christmas time, especially with undercooked turkey or chicken. Salmonella poisoning rises at this time of year which could prove fatal in the young and the elderly.

Turkey is a favourite with many households over the festive period and takes a good while to cook properly, sadly many people still end up at A&E with food poisoning though.

Christmas plants

Many people buy Christmas plants to complement their Christmas decorations around the home. But some plants are highly toxic if they are ingested or they may cause a severe allergic reaction.

Mistletoe is a favourite in many households over Christmas and the berries from mistletoe can cause the heart rate to slow down and cause hallucinations if they are ingested.

So if you are unsure whether they can be toxic or not it may be worth checking with a florist or garden centre before bringing them into your home, especially with small children and pets.

Conclusion

Christmas time is a fantastic time of the year and can be enjoyed by all, so with a little care and preparation, we can all avoid making an unnecessary visit to A&E.

First aid skills would come in very handy with all of the above and is handy at other times too.

We run regular first aid courses from our training centres in Rugby and Leamington Spa a 1-day first aid course would give you a good baseline of first aid skills to deal with most domestic accidents. If you want to learn more we have a 3-day First Aid at Work course that will give you the skills to deal with most minor first-aid incidents. If you wanted it child-specific Paediatric first aid would be a great choice too.

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