There are some simple steps that everyone can take, especially parents and carers of younger children, to avoid the wrong type of scares, damage to property or injury.
Checking for safety labelling on spooky costumes and ensuring small button battery compartments are secure could prevent serious injury, or an even worse outcome. Alongside the precautions that can be taken at home, the County Council’s Trading Standards officers will be visiting retailers across Hampshire to ensure that fireworks are stored and sold correctly.
Have a safe Halloween by following these tips
• Check the labels of children’s costumes and other toys including face paints, wigs or masks - products must have a UKCA or CE mark which means the product complies with the required safety standards – avoid buying fake items.
• Take extra care if buying your Halloween outfits online - try to buy from well-known and trusted retailers.
• Consider battery operated tealights or glow sticks inside any pumpkins rather than wax tealights or candles requiring a naked flame
• Familiarise yourself with fire safety guidance – Halloween guidance from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service
• For any products using button cell batteries (including battery operated tealights), ensure the battery compartments cannot be opened easily by children – the covers to cell batteries should be secured either with a screw or require two independent actions to open them. Button cells have been swallowed by children resulting in serious internal injuries from the battery acid and, in some cases, fatalities
• Check sweets and edible treats are suitable for smaller children and do not present a choking hazard. Be particularly careful if your child has a food allergy and check the packaging for allergy information.
• Check the latest safety alerts and product recalls.
Safety first with fireworks
• If buying fireworks, only buy from reputable retailers and look for the UKCA or CE mark – follow the Firework Code and make sure pets and other animals are safely indoors.
• Store fireworks securely in the original manufacturer's packaging and keep away from any under 18s.
The County Council’s Trading Standards team carries out inspections on premises that store and sell fireworks to ensure they are stored safely, are in the manufacturers’ original packaging, and only sold to people over 18 years old. Officers also monitor imports coming into the UK through Hampshire ports to check and reject goods that do not comply with UK safety standards.
Every year, to help keep consumers safe, the County Council’s Scientific Service carries out hundreds of tests on toys and other popular products, that are submitted for testing from a range of organisations, to identify fake and dangerous goods – issues include items that could cause choking.
If something goes wrong with a product, people can report their concerns to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 or via their consumer helpline online.
For more information on the work of Hampshire County Council’s Trading Standards, visit: https://www.hants.gov.uk/business/tradingstandards/consumeradvice