Summer Safety Tips

Sun Safety

• Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, accounting for half of all cancer cases.
• The sun’s UV rays are strongest between 10:00a.m. and 4:00p.m.
• Use sunscreen of at least 15 SPV, whether dark- or light-skinned, even on cloudy days.
• Apply sunscreen every two hours, more frequently when swimming or sweating.
• It only takes 15 minutes of sun exposure to damage your skin, but the effects could take up to 20 or 30 years to occur.

Ticks

• Avoid thick, wooded or bushy areas with high grass.
• Use insect repellent that is specifically designed to repel ticks.
• Examine your body thoroughly for ticks when you go back inside. Check under arms, behind ears, in hair, inside your belly button, behind your knees, in between your legs and around your waist.
• Take a shower within two hours of coming indoors to scrub off any ticks that may be on you.
• Put clothing in the dryer on high heat to kill any ticks on your clothing that have not attached themselves to you.

Water Safety

• Every day in the U.S., an average of 10 people die from drowning.
• Wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket. It is estimated that 85% of boating-related drownings could have been prevented if the victim had been wearing a life jacket.
• Don’t dive or jump into water that you can’t see through.
• Don’t drink alcohol or do drugs while swimming or boating.
• Always supervise children when they are in or around the water and teach them water safety at an early age.

Heat Safety

• Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water – don’t wait until you are thirsty!
• Check on elderly neighbors and homes with pets frequently during extreme heat.
• Seek shade or carry your own water-mister to beat the heat!
• Check local news for heat-related advisories and plan your activities accordingly.
• Learn the symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.