Safety Tips for Diwali by Dr. Ashwin Shetty and Dr. Sushmita Dhavan

Diwali, the wonderful festival of lights, celebration, and happiness is just around the corner. Enjoying the festivities with one’s friends and family is something everyone enjoys. However, ensuring a safe celebration is a must. Know safety tips for Diwali which you can follow to keep your children safe during the joyful festival.

In order to inform families, our two honored Doctors have shared inputs on the safety tips for Diwali.

• Ashwin Shetty, Consultant, Ophthalmology Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore
• Sushmita Dhavan, Dermatologist and Aesthetic surgeon, Aster CMI hospital, Bangalore

Safety Tips for Diwali Authored by Dr. Ashwin Shetty

Here are the tips on how to make Diwali safe and fun for your family and friends.

1) Be aware of your surroundings when firecrackers are going off. Most injuries happen to bystanders when a firecracker goes off around them.

2) Children should always be supervised by adults when setting off firecrackers.

3) Never try to relight a firecracker which hasn’t gone off the first time.

4) Make sure there are no loose gravel glass bottles etc. near the site where you are lighting your crackers. These can shatter and fly off by the force of the explosion and cause serious injuries.

5) Projectile firecrackers (Rockets/7 shot etc.) should never be set off in a horizontal position.

6) Keep a water source (bucket of water) handy to douse accidental fires.

7) Warn motorists (especially two-wheeler riders) when they are approaching your lit firecracker which is about to go off.

In case of an injury follow these steps

1) Rinse the area with clean drinking water.

2) Do not apply any home remedies like turmeric, rose water, etc. This is especially important if there is a suspicion of injury to the eyeball as these can cause severe inflammation or infection if they enter the eye.

3) Take the patient to an eye doctor as soon as possible.

4) Do not attempt to forcibly open the eyes if they are swollen shut. It may cause further damage if the eyeball has suffered a penetrating injury.

Safety Tips for Diwali Authored by Dr. Sushmita Dhavan

Here are general measures to be taken if you are having fireworks at home.

1. Wear cotton clothes before starting fireworks.
2. Keep a bucket of water handy before you start the fireworks. It should be at an easily accessible place so that if any burns happen you can dip the part in water.
3. If you sustain any burns, immediately dip your affected part in water or hold it under cold running water. Doing so will minimize the injury.
4. If the area burnt develops blisters, don’t rupture or peel the blister – the blister acts as a natural dressing for the underlying raw area.
5. Apply plain antibiotic ointment on the burnt area. Avoid applying mud, toothpaste, lime etc. as it can act as the focus of infection.
6. Visit your nearest doctor if burn sustained is large.
7. If you are diabetic or a patient with chronic kidney disease and you have sustained burns, visit a doctor immediately to prevent infection.

Also Read: How to celebrate Green Diwali with kids?

Have more safety tips for Diwali to add to the list? Please share your valuable tips with us in the comments section below.

Wish you a Safe, Healthy, and Happy Green Diwali!