What do you get when you combine alcohol, fireworks and a day off from work? Independence Day, of course.
Each week NKyTribune’s “resident riskologist” Keven Moore shines the light on America’s riskiest behaviors – from unsafe driving practices to workplace stress to common home accidents. And in the process, he provides the information needed to help people play it a little safer.
You also get some pretty stupid – and dangerous – stunts, whether it’s someone shooting fireworks out of his rear-end or lighting firecrackers in his mouth.
Looking back at my own childhood stunts involving fireworks, I am amazed that I still have all 10 fingers, didn’t burn something down, have both eyes and never served a day in juvenile detention. It was not uncommon for us neighborhood kids to shoot bottle rockets and Roman candles across the street at each another and toss firecrackers with long fuses at unsuspecting neighbors. (I see some of you nodding your heads in agreement.)
Despite the potential risks, Americans purchased $102.7 million worth of fireworks and lit 225.3 million pounds of these explosive devices last year. The American Pyrotechnics Association estimates that more than 14,000 fireworks displays light up U.S. skies each Fourth of July. And those statistics don’t take into account all the individual neighborhood and family displays that send the family dog into PTSD convulsions for at least two to three days.
Sadly, fireworks injure and kill people every year. In 2013, there were eight deaths and an estimated 11,400 consumers who sustained injuries related to fireworks.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the hands and fingers receive 41 percent of the injuries associated with fireworks, followed by the head, face and ears with 19 percent, trunks with 15 percent, legs with 13 percent, eyes with 12 percent and arms with 1 percent. Over half of these injuries involved burns. Firecrackers (23 percent), bottle rockets (12 percent) and sparklers (12 percent) were the primary culprits.
On a good note, consumption of fireworks in the United States has risen dramatically during the past three decades, but during the same period, injuries declined just as dramatically. This can be attributed to industry safety education efforts and the ever-improving quality of the products.
Over the most recent decade, this downward trend continues even as an increasing number of states and municipalities have relaxed their consumer fireworks laws. In fact the injury rate was almost 57 percent lower in 2012 compared to 2000.
As with everything you do, the bottom line when using fireworks is to be smart. Stupidity and explosives just don’t mix.
Be safe, my friends.
Keven Moore works in risk management services. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Kentucky, a master’s from Eastern Kentucky University and 25-plus years of experience in the safety and insurance profession. He lives in Lexington with his family and works out of both the Lexington and Northern Kentucky offices. Keven can be reached at kmoore@roeding.com.
To read more from Keven Moore, click here.