Halloween Safety Tips for Yard Haunts
Ideas to Make Houses and Front Yards Spooky Yet Safe Places
Sep 30, 2008
Blood and gore, lightning and thunder, eerie lights, blood-curdling screams, ghouls and ghosts – these are the stuff of a successful yard haunt. But in addition to the fun and spook factors, there is something else equally important for those planning a yard haunt – safety precautions. Find out how to make a yard haunt safe for everyone involved – from the organizers to the guests.
Extra Insurance Coverage
As the yard haunt will receive scores of visitors, extra homeowners insurance or liability insurance is definitely highly recommended. With so many people coming in and out of the property, the likelihood of things damaged or stolen is pretty high. Additionally, in the midst of all the spine-chilling excitement, some people may trip or fall over. Avoid unnecessary losses or law suits by getting extra coverage. Most insurance companies will be able to accommodate that need even if the coverage is only for a few short days.
Safe Walkways
Plan and create walkways that are wide enough for a few people to go through simultaneously as people tend to huddle together when they venture into the scary corners. Wider walkways also minimize pushing and jostling in the crowd, reducing the risk of injury.
Organizers should also put walkways a little further away from props and decorative items. This prevents people from knocking and tripping over them. It also discourages irresponsible behavior such as vandalism and theft.
Lighting Safety
A wide range of decorative lights and lightning machines is often used in yard haunts to create supernatural effects. However, their presence can also cause risks of electric shocks and fires if they are not used properly. Here’s how to ensure lighting safety:
- Read and understand the manufacturer’s safety and instruction manual.
- Check each item carefully. Replace bare wires, loose connections and damaged sockets.
- Do not use these electrical devices outdoors if it’s going to rain. Never let their extension cords run through water in the ground.
- Secure outdoor lights properly to trees, poles and walls to protect them against possible strong winds.
- Ensure the cords are out of the visitors’ path to avoid tripping them.
- Plug lights and ornaments into circuits safeguarded by portable ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) for more protection against electric shocks.
Creating fog
Most of the safety measures for lighting devices apply to fog machines too since they are powered by electricity. However, there is one other concern – whether the fog is safe to be inhaled. Most fog machines use a fog fluid made of water and a chemical called glycol, which has been found to be not dangerous to humans. Still, over-fogging should be avoided because it can irritate the eyes and dry the skin. Good ventilation is essential if a fog machine is to be used indoors.
Dry ice can also be used to create fog. However, those who choose to use dry ice should avoid skin contact with it as this can cause severe skin damage through cold burns. Dry ice also evaporates in huge quantities of carbon dioxide gas, making breathing difficult. So handle dry ice with absolute care.
Ample Warning
Hosts of yard haunts with really creepy and gruesome props should put up a warning sign for visitors. It’s meant to be spooky but fun. So let the visitors mentally prepare themselves for what they would encounter as they tour the haunt. Toddlers and young children should probably be excluded. Their parents want them to enjoy Halloween and trick-or-treat safely, not frightening them unnecessarily!
It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Yard haunt organizers should give their visitors the ultimate fright and fun by making sure they are covered by insurance, provide safe walkways as well as use lighting devices and fog machines properly.
Found this article useful? Read also Halloween Safety Tips for Homeowners and Halloween Costume Safety Tips for Kids.
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