The Sunday Times on the Web Plus
27th December 1998

Front Page|
News/Comment|
Editorial/Opinion| Business| Sports |
Mirror Magazine

Home
Front Page
News/Comment
Editorial/Opinion
Business
Sports
Mirror Magazine
image
Damn dams or dam the water
Contents
Presented on the World Wide Web by Infomation Laboratories (Pvt.) Ltd.

Gone with the bang

Firework accidents have been drastically reduced.
Still take precautions when using them

By Udena Attiygalle

There is no snow, no chilly northern wind here in Colombo. It is hot. Yet even here Christmas celebrations are not lacking. And which celebration in this country would be complete without those firecrackers.

Be it the New Year, Christmas, a victory at a cricket match or for that matter even at a death, firecrackers have become a integral part of these occasions.

For most of us the approaching New Year will begin with a "BANG". But for some it will begin in a hospital bed. These will be the unfortunate (or careless) few who got too close to the "bang".

Dr. Hector WeerasingheDr. Hector Weerasinghe, the Director of the Accident Service and a vociferous campaigner for the safe use of firecrackers was of the view that these injuries were totally avoidable. Therefore the public should make sure that they do not happen.

Due to the wide publicity and the concerted efforts of a number of people the number of firecracker injuries reported to the National Hospital on New Year's eve had dropped to just one last year-a drastic improvement from 13 cases the previous year.

But Dr. Weerasinghe was adamant in stating that "we have to keep reminding our people. They have a very short memory." A finger blown off, a burnt-up disfigured face, total blindness. Many careless firecracker users end up like this on hospital beds on New Year's Day. The only time such an injury proved fatal was reported from Wattala in 1996. All of these could be avoided if a few simple precautions had been taken.

According to the doctor the most common mistake is holding the cracker in the hand. When crackers or skyrockets explode in your hand it can blow away a finger or two and even cause severe burns and disfigurement and even blindness if held close to the face.

Another firecracker victimAnother mistake is to gather around unexploded fire-works in an attempt to revive them. Throwing fire crackers at friends, lighting a bunch of crackers under a tin can and shooting sky rockets horizontally can be perceived as fun by some, but it can also be very dangerous and cause severe injury.

Ignoring dangerous 'tricks' and handling by hand when using firecrackers is the most practical way to avoid injuring yourself and others. Also Dr. Weerasinghe said emphatically that " high explosive crackers should be totally banned"

It may shock most people that there are no standards set out by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) for firecrackers.

So it follows that there is no quality control on the crackers nor is the consumer guaranteed of safety when using them.

The institute had in fact done a study on this a few years ago but it had not resulted in the establishment of a standard for firecrackers. So the quality of the firecrackers you are about to explode could be anybody's guess!

According to vendors around Colombo the most popular type of fireworks during this time is the relatively harmless 'sparklers." The demand for firecrackers had gone down, they observed. They usually start selling crackers a few weeks before Christmas and go on till the New Year dawns.

The sale of firecrackers it seems is at its highest during the two days prior to Christmas and then the New Year.

" Everybody lights a cracker on the 31st night", one vendor said. So if you are one those people for whom the thrill of a firecracker going off at the dawn of the New Year is an irresistible attraction, do pay attention to safety it may just prevent you from languishing in a hospital bed, in pain and discomfort and scowled on by annoyed nursing staff on the very day that you were heralding with a bang.


More Plus *  I feel a difference in my life now  *  Sparkling wine or boiling milk…

Plus Archive

Front Page| News/Comment| Editorial/Opinion| Business| Sports | Mirror Magazine

Hosted By LAcNet

Please send your comments and suggestions on this web site to

The Sunday Times or to Information Laboratories (Pvt.) Ltd.