Summer Safety Tips for When You're Outdoors

Summer is a busy season. The kids are off school, construction work is in full swing, and thousands of people are out working and playing outdoors. All that activity can result in exposure to heat, nasty insect bites, and other hazards of the season. So to help you protect yourself while you enjoy the sunshine and great outdoors, here are some safe summer tips.

Heat Safety Tips

Heat safety tips are some of the most important summer safety tips, as people can overheat quickly in the summer sun. Knowing how to treat heat illness and tell the difference between heat stroke vs. heat exhaustion can mean the difference between a great summer day and a trip to the hospital.

Heat safety tips are especially important for kids, who often ignore the messages their overheated bodies send until they’re actively experiencing symptoms of heat illness. Kids and adults alike should know the symptoms of dehydration (increased thirst, dry mouth, and loss of energy) and take steps to cool down and rehydrate before more serious heat exhaustion develops.

Practical heat safety tips include: 

• Drinking plenty of water.
• Confining strenuous activity to the morning or evening instead of the heat of the day.
• Use shade, fans, and wet towels to cool down.
• Dress for the heat with lightweight, light-colored long-sleeved clothing and sun hats.

As part of your heat safety tips, be sure to wear appropriate UV protection. A sunscreen with SPF of at least thirty provides the best UV protection, but remember no sunscreen completely blocks the sun’s UV rays. Wearing breathable, long-sleeves clothing offers UV protection as well, and staying in shade during the hottest part of the day helps minimize your risk of sunburn.

Preventing Insect Bites

Few things ruin a summer’s day as much as insects. 

Mosquitos, ticks, and other biting insects can leave you suffering from itch red bites, or worse, transmit potentially serious diseases. West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, and several types of encephalitis are carried by mosquitoes, while tick bites can transmit bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases, including Lyme Disease. 

Knowing how to prevent tick bites is your best defense against tick-related disease, including avoiding areas where ticks congregate, checking for ticks after playing or working outside, and wearing tick-resistant clothing that has been infused with small amounts of insecticide. 

For mosquitos and other insects, a good-quality mosquito repellant helps prevent bites. Look for a mosquito repellent that contains 20 to 30 percent DEET and apply it to exploded skin and clothing. 

In addition to regular applications of mosquito repellant, summer safety tips to prevent insect bites include:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, socks, and closed shoes.
• Use oscillating fans on your deck to discourage mosquitoes.
• Remove standing water from your yard. Mosquitoes can breed in very small amounts of water, so dump or drain birdbaths, wheelbarrows, pots, planters, and toys regularly.
• ?Keep shrubs and greenery trimmed and remove leaf litter and other debris where insects can hide. ?Use mosquito netting over beds.

Bike Safety

Bike safety is important for anyone who likes to cycle, no matter what their age. While a snug-fitting helmet is the best-known protection against injury, consider these additional bike summer safety tips:

• Wear reflective vests for biking: Reflective vests for biking helps alert drivers to a cyclist’s presence. Don’t just wear reflective vests at night —  they increase visibility in the day time as well, especially when it’s raining. The best reflective vests for biking are hi-viz vests approved by ANSI for roadcrews.
• Use reflectors: Even if you’re using reflective vests for biking, use reflectors or lights on the front and rear of your bike when cycling at night. 
• Maintain your bike: Check tire pressure, tighten brake lines, and ensure the chain spins smoothly before hitting the road.
• Don’t wear headphones: Fun though it is to listen to music as you bike, headsets prevent you from hearing what’s going on around you.
• Ride on the right: Go with the flow of traffic, not against it. Whenever possible, use bike paths.
• Don’t carry things while you ride: Use a backpack or bike carrier so you can keep both hands on the handlebars.
• Warn pedestrians and fellow cyclists: Use a bell or shout a warning when passing other people.
• Watch for car doors: Parked car doors can open without warning. Ideally, ride four feet away from parked cars to reduce the risk of colliding with a door. 
• Watch intersections: This is one of the most important bike safety tips, as half of all crashes involving bikes take place at intersections.

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