Whatever chaos the holiday throws at you, these thanksgiving safety tips will ensure your turkey day goes off without a hitch

Navigating Thanksgiving week can feel like juggling a million different moving parts. 

If you’re hosting, getting the house ready for guests and preparing the food can take up the bulk of your energy. Not to mention entertaining your guests and making sure dinner goes smoothly. If you’re traveling or going holiday shopping, you’ve got a whole different mountain of things on your plate.

That’s why it’s important to brush up on your holiday safety knowledge and tackle any concerns in advance. The following Thanksgiving safety tips will help you reduce safety risks at home and on the go so you can confidently enjoy the holiday, wherever it takes you.

1. Home Safety 

If you’re welcoming loved ones and friends into your home this Thanksgiving, minimize potential safety hazards and prepare for emergencies with these essential tips:

• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace any old batteries.
• To prevent falls, keep the floors clear of clutter (clothes, cords, bags, toys, etc.).
• Keep decorations away from heat sources.
• Make sure there’s at least one person watching the kids at all times.
• If you’re using your fireplace, close it off with a glass or screen door, keep children and pets from getting too close, and never leave it unattended.

2. Outdoor Safety

With the brisk, beautiful fall weather, there’s bound to be some outdoor fun this Thanksgiving. You might even be grilling out in the backyard.

If that’s the case, set up the grill a safe distance from the house and any overhanging structures, and make sure the kids and pets stay at least a few feet away while it’s hot.

If you have a pool, it might be too cold to hop in, but don’t allow any running or roughhousing near the edge. And if the party makes it to the front yard, stay clear of the street to avoid unnecessary risk.

As always, make sure there’s someone keeping an eye on the kids whenever they’re playing outdoors.

3. Cooking Safety

The kitchen is where all the magic happens on Thanksgiving, and it deserves extra attention to minimize the risk of fires, accidents, and injuries.

Before you fire up the stove, take the following steps to set yourself up for a safe cooking session:

• Wear snugly fitting clothing to avoid a loose sleeve dipping into a hot pan or oven.
• Make sure your fire extinguisher is charged and easily accessible.
• Remove any fire hazards from the stove, oven, microwave, toaster, air fryer, and any other appliances you plan on using to cook. These include oven mitts, decorations, cords, paper plates, napkins, dishtowels, etc.

Once you start cooking, these Thanksgiving safety tips will keep your operation running safely and smoothly:

• Don’t leave the kitchen until everything is prepared and the appliances have been turned off. If you have to leave for a bathroom break or other reason, have someone keep watch for you.
• Keep the kids busy outside the kitchen as often as possible, and don’t let them or the pets within three feet of hot kitchen appliances.
• Keep sharp and otherwise hazardous items (knives, sharp utensils, hot pans, etc.) out of reach of children. Turn pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove to prevent them from being accidentally knocked over or pulled off.
• Use pot and pan lids to prevent grease splatter.
• If your food starts to smoke or a fire breaks out, turn off the burner immediately, cover the pot or pan with a lid, and take it off the burner. If a fire starts in the oven, turn it off and keep it closed to let it die out.

Food Safety

After a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, the last thing you want is a house-wide foodborne illness outbreak. 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends the following safety measures to avoid contamination and ensure your food is safe to eat:

1. Wash your hands and any surfaces you plan to use before preparing and handling food.
2. Store perishable items in the refrigerator within two hours of purchasing.
3. Store meat and vegetables separately in your refrigerator, and prepare raw meat and vegetables on different surfaces to avoid cross-contamination. If you need to use the same surface, wash it thoroughly with soap and water between uses.
4. Store meat in secure wrapping or containers to prevent juices from dripping and contaminating other food.
5. Check the labels to avoid cooking expired food.
6. Ensure all meats are cooked through, checking with a thermometer as you go. If you’re unsure what temperature to shoot for, the USDA has a chart on their website that lists all different meats and their minimum temperatures.

Travel Safety

Just last week, Stacey Barber, the Vice President of AAA Travel, said that Thanksgiving is the “busiest holiday for travel,” and that this year is expected to break records.

So, if you’re gearing up for a trip this holiday, pack these travel safety tips in your mental suitcase before you head out:

• If you’re driving, consider leaving a day earlier to avoid heavy holiday traffic.
• Drive defensively to protect yourself and your fellow drivers.
• Let your bank know where you’re going and how long you’ll be there to avoid getting declined.
• Let your friends or loved ones know your travel plans and check in periodically so they know you’re safe.
• Bring a portable phone or car charger so you’ll have plenty of juice to last the trip. A dead phone can be a serious problem if you haven’t reached your destination.

Black Friday Shopping Safety

If you can’t resist this year’s Black Friday deals, there are a few key steps you can take to avoid the hordes and have a safe shopping experience.

First, stay away from the stores that are likely to have stampedes. Big stores like Walmart, Target, and even some malls are known to have dangerous swarms of people rushing in, which often leads to injuries and sometimes death.

Second, stock up on cash before Black Friday if that’s how you plan on paying. ATMs will be overrun the day of, and getting stuck in line for one could cost you precious time. 

Third, thieves love to target Black Friday shoppers, so no matter how you plan on paying, only bring what you need to cover your list of items. If you only need $500 in cash, don’t bring any more than that. If you only need two cards, leave the rest at home.

Finally, if you’re hitting different stores, lock your purchases out of sight in the trunk as you go. Leaving items exposed in the passenger or backseat could turn your car into a target.

Emergency Preparedness

It may be last on our list of Thanksgiving safety tips, but emergency preparedness is the foundation upon which everything we’ve covered today should be built.

You can prepare as much as you like, but emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. If you experience one, you need an avenue you can count on to get help fast, and there’s no faster way than the Rescu app.

Rescu is a personal safety app that allows you to dispatch first responders to your pre-registered address or current location anywhere in the US with just two taps on your smartphone or Apple Watch. 

You can send an emergency alert in seconds, and you don’t have to spend a second talking over the phone. No phone call means no answering a long list of questions, no being transferred to different departments, and no risk of delays. 

This call-free process saves precious time during fires, medical emergencies, and other time-sensitive situations where every second counts. Protect yourself, your loved ones, and your home this holiday season with the fastest way to get help in an emergency.

Learn more about Rescu on our website, and click the buttons below to download now.