5 Summer Safety Tips

Summer is here! It’s a glorious time. Vacations, grilling out, playing outdoors, swimming at the lake—so many favorite seasonal past times that lead to amazing memories.

There’s a flip side to the fun times if you don’t take precautions, though. Keep safety top of mind this summer with these 5 tips:

1 – Protect Your Skin: You’ve likely heard this tip a million times, but it’s worth repeating. It’s a fact that ultraviolet (UV) light can damage skin cells. It’s not worth the risk. Even if the skies are cloudy, you’re still exposed to the sun’s rays through surface reflection. Applying sunscreen is one way to help protect your skin, but you can also wear hats and long-sleeve shirts made of breathable materials, set up shady spots to get out of the sun and plan your outdoor activities before 10 am or after 3 pm to avoid the times of day the UV light is the strongest.

2 – Hydrate the Right Way: Staying hydrated means you are purposefully putting fluids inside your body to prevent dehydration. When it comes to heat and body fluids, it is 100% true that by the time you feel thirsty, your body is already lacking what it needs. Whether you are lounging by the pool or sitting on the front porch, the risk of dehydration is real. Stick to water, if you can, as sugary drinks and alcohol can actually contribute to dehydration as opposed to help it. If you’re planning to be outdoors away from home and an immediate source of water, pack extra water just to be safe.

3 – Keep Adults on Fireworks Safety Duty: Fireworks and summer are like peanut butter and jelly. When you think of one, you automatically think of the other. Many parents feel safe letting their little ones run around with sparklers. We strongly encourage parents to recognize that sparklers can burn at temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Children should be supervised at all times when fireworks of any type are in the area. And adults need to be completely aware of their surroundings when handling fireworks. There’s no such thing as being too safe when it comes to potential injuries like the ones that can result from fireworks accidents, so plan ahead to make sure adults are in charge and supervising before festivities start.

4 – Protect from Chiggers and Ticks: Chiggers and ticks may love summer even more than humans do. Chiggers can leave you seriously itchy, and some ticks, as you know, are the perpetrators of illnesses that often produce a rash followed by a variety of symptoms that may become debilitating if not correctly diagnosed. Keep your lawn mowed and try to limit exposure to unkempt areas of tall grass or brush. Wearing long pants and sleeves and treating clothes and bodies with these EPA-recommended repellants can help keep ticks away.

There is no guarantee that ticks can’t still slip onto your skin despite your best precautions. At the end of each day, do an all-over-the-body tick check of each family member. If you do find a tick attached to your skin, the CDC recommends immediately removing it with tweezers by pulling upward. There’s a chance the tick’s head may remain in your skin. Do your best to remove it. Clean the area with soap and water, and visit a Fast Pace Health clinic near you if you have concerns.

5 – Respect the Dangers of Swimming: Continuous supervision is key when it comes to summertime swimming. This is going to sound scary, but statistics do not lie. The CDC reports an average of 10 unintentional drownings every day. Of those 10, two or more are age 14 or under. Even the most seasoned athletes can find themselves fatigued in the water. When swimming, particularly in open bodies of water, keep an eye on how far away you are from the shore. Stay a realistically swimmable distance to the shore. Err on the side of underestimating your stamina as opposed to overestimating. Caregivers of children should not be distracted. It is strongly recommended that a person capable of assisting a struggling swimmer is in the vicinity. At the very least, approved flotation devices should be handy in case of an emergency.

The best piece of overall advice we can offer when it comes to summer safety is to plan ahead for whatever adventures you are embarking on. If you take a few extra minutes to make sure you’ve packed sunscreen, bug spray, hats, extra water and the other essentials we’ve highlighted, you may also encourage others who see how on top if it you are to think ahead and put safety first.

Remember that we are open 7 days a week if you have any urgent care needs this summer. Walk-ins are always welcome, but you can also reserve your spot in line on our website: https://fastpacehealth.com/

We wish you happy, safe and healthy summer!