Keeping safe at your Summer Barbecue

A big part of British summer is making the most of the limited sunshine before it inevitably rains.

One of the nation’s favourite pastimes when the sun is out is a barbecue, but do you know how to react if an accident strikes your back garden barbecue?

Imperative has looked at some of the most common barbecue medical incidents and how to respond.

Burns

One of the more obvious risks involved with a barbecue is the possibility of burns due to a hot grill and utensils, children running around, and possibly alcohol being consumed which can affect reaction times.

So what to do if someone suffers a burn to their skin? The first priority should be to cool the skin; run cool, clean water directly over the burn for several minutes.

You should then remove all clothing and jewellery from around the burned area - but don’t remove any clothing that’s stuck to the skin, use a non-stick dressing to cover the wound and finally take the casualty to Accident and Emergency or an Urgent Care centre to be checked over.

Cuts

Another common health risk with barbecues is the potential for cuts or lacerations from knives or other sharp equipment used in cooking.

Stopping the bleeding should be the first step, this can be done by applying pressure to the wound with a clean, absorbent material such as a bandage or towel for several minutes. 

Once the wound has stopped bleeding, it should be cleaned under tap water and covered with a sterile dressing such as a plaster.

You should visit A+E if:

• You cannot stop the bleeding

• The bleeding is from an artery - it spurts out with the beating of the heart. Arterial bleeding is usually bright red and hard to control.

• There is persistent loss of sensation around the wound 

• The wound is a severe cut to the face – urgent treatment may be required  to prevent scarring

• The cut is to the palm of your hand and it looks infected – these types of infection can spread quickly

• There’s a possibility a foreign body is still inside the wound

• The wound is very large or the injury has caused a lot of tissue damage

Choking

Even after successfully cooking and serving the food without incident, accidents can happen. Choking can be a terrifying and potentially life-threatening problem affecting both children and adults.

Common signs of choking include: frantically pointing to their throat or mouth, skin turning pale and sweaty, gasping, inability to talk and squeaky noises when trying to breathe.

If you notice someone you think is choking, firstly encourage them to cough. If the blockage is severe they won’t be able to speak, breathe, or cough.

You should first give the casualty back blows. This involves bending the casualty forward and giving them five sharp blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand, this creates vibration and pressure in the airway which can often be enough to dislodge the blockage.

If this doesn’t work, NHS guidance advises to give abdominal thrusts- placing your arms around the casualty above their belly button and pulling inwards and upwards strongly. This squeezes the air out of the lungs and can dislodge the blockage.

If they are still choking, call 999 and repeat the steps. If the casualty becomes unconscious, begin CPR immediately and continue until emergency services arrive.

Bee/wasp stings

Bee and wasp stings are common in the summertime, when dealing with a bee sting, gently remove the stinger using a fingernail or the edge of a bank card. Make sure to scrape the stinger, not pull. 

Some people are allergic to bee stings, signs of a bee sting allergy include:

•     Swelling around the face, eyes, tongue, lips, or throat

•      Wheezing or difficulty breathing

•      Dizziness, cramps, nausea, or diarrhoea

•      Fainting

•      Hives or a rash

Someone with a severe allergy should carry an epi-pen and know how to use it.

Heat stroke/exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is caused by an increase in the body’s core temperature and not enough water intake.

The signs of heat exhaustion include:

• tiredness

• dizziness

• headache

• feeling sick or being sick

• excessive sweating and skin becoming pale and clammy or getting a heat rash, but a change in skin colour can be harder to see on brown and black skin

• cramps in the arms, legs and stomach

• fast breathing or heartbeat

• a high temperature

• being very thirsty

• Weakness

If someone is suffering from heat stroke, you should: Move them to a cool place, remove all unnecessary clothing like a jacket or socks, get them to drink a sports or rehydration drink, or cool water, cool their skin – spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them. Cold packs, wrapped in a cloth and put under the armpits or on the neck are good too.

Be prepared with Imperative 

The best way to ensure you are always prepared in the case of a first aid emergency is to keep up-to-date with training. This builds the confidence and skills needed to step in competently and help preserve life.

Imperative Training provides the highest standard of first aid training - covering everything from CPR to fire safety.

Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01617767420 to learn how we can support you.