Summer is a wonderful season, full of sunny days, time off from school, and many outdoor activities with family and friends.

Here are three safety tips to follow that will help you make sure your summer time remains enjoyable:

1) Be Safe in the Sun

It’s important to remember skin needs to be protected from the sun with the appropriate clothing, a good sunblock, and even a wide-brimmed hat, if necessary. Be sure to drink enough water continually throughout the day in the hot season and never, ever leave children or pets unattended in a car or other vehicle.

2) Be Safe in the Yard

Now’s a good time to go through the yard and look for hidden dangers such as rodent holes, dropped branches, exposed roots and other tripping hazards.  Summer means getting outside in the yard and having fun.  There’s nothing fun, however, about twisting an ankle or falling down and getting hurt.  Go over your yard carefully and remove or fill in any potential hazards.

3) Be Safe In and Near the Pool

Summer and swimming pools just seem to go together, but even engaging in this summer pastime requires some extra care.  Poolsafely.gov has some good pointers and suggestions for how to stay safe around the water:

• Never leave a child unattended in or near the water. Be sure to have an adult monitoring the pool at all times.
• Teach children how to swim.
• Teach children to stay away from drains.
• Ensure all pools and spas—both in your backyard and any public pool you may visit—have compliant drain covers. If there are any that are missing or broken, then repair them right away to keep children and others from accidentally being trapped.
• Install proper barriers such as fencing or covers and alarms on and around your pool and spa.
• Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.[1]

While the above tips for Summer safety are by no means comprehensive, they can, if followed, help reduce the unnecessary risk of some injuries.  Being proactive and careful about summer safety is a great way to make sure that those warm days of summer are actually fun.

[1] https://www.poolsafely.gov/parents/safety-tips/