DON'T LET YOUR TURKEY DAY CELEBRATIONS GO FOWL THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF A HAND INJURY. FOLLOW THESE TIPS FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR SURGERY OF THE HAND AND HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING!
Safety Tips
- Never cut towards yourself. One slip of the knife can cause a horrific injury. While carving a turkey or cutting a pumpkin your free hand should be placed opposite the side you are carving towards. Don’t place your hand underneath the blade to catch the slice of meat.
- Keep your cutting area well-lit and dry. Good lighting will help prevent an accidental cut of the finger and making sure your cutting surface is dry will prevent ingredients from slipping while chopping.
- Keep your knife handles dry. A wet handle can prove slippery and cause your hand to slip down onto the blade resulting in a nasty cut.
- Keep all cutting utensils sharp. A sharp knife will never need to be forced to cut, chop, carve or slice. A knife too dull to cut properly is still sharp enough to cause an injury.
- Use an electric knife to ease the carving of the turkey or ham.
- Use kitchen sheers to tackle the job of cutting bones and joints.
- Leave meat and pumpkin carving to the adults. Children have not yet developed the dexterity skills necessary to safely handle sharp utensils.
- Lastly, should you cut your finger or hand, bleeding from minor cuts will often stop on their own by applying direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth.
For more information about the original article, visit: The American Society for Surgery of the Hand