KEEPING IT SAFE FOR HALLOWEEN – ISSUE NO. 487

Growing up, I always looked forward to Halloween. Dressing up and candy collecting were, of course, some of my favorite activities, but I also really enjoyed carving pumpkins with my family. Each year, my dad would get pumpkins so that my brothers, sister and I could have our own individual pumpkin to carve. When we first started carving pumpkins, we just used steak knives. Once we got a little older, my dad found tools that were made specifically to carve pumpkins. We also found out using steak knives wasn't the safest thing to do. Thankfully, no one in my family ever got hurt from using the wrong knives, but we did hear of other children and families who ended up in the ER from accidental knife slips. According to the Detroit News, "The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) warns against using kitchen knives to do your carving. But are pumpkin-carving kits safer? In 2004, researchers at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, N.Y., used cadaver hands to study the dangers of pumpkin carving. They found that specific pumpkin-carving tools were, indeed safer, than sharp kitchen knives." Using the correct tools is important for any sort of procedure or discipline, whether it's professional pumpkin carving, surgery or cleaning with the right products. When it comes to hospital storage, PPE, instrument care, instrument trays, sterilization, security, cleaning verification and labeling, Healthmark offers the best tools for the job. We hope you have a safe, happy and healthy October!