Tips for a Safe and Secure Thanksgiving

November 25, 2019

Thanksgiving is almost here and across the country, everyone’s gearing up for one of the most spectacular feasts of the year. Amid all of the festivities, it’s important to remember that Thanksgiving also brings with it an increased chance of food poisoning, kitchen fires and travel incidents.

We’re in the risk business, of course, so we’ve come up with a few Thanksgiving safety tips to help you avoid a turkey dinner that ends in disaster.

Food Poisoning

There’s no government statistic on this, but we know people get sick every Thanksgiving. Here’s how to minimize the odds of that happening to you, your family and friends:

• Safely cooking a turkey starts with correctly defrosting it; place your bird on a tray or pan to catch any juices and keep it refrigerated until it’s ready to cook.
• A 20-pound frozen turkey can take up to five days to thaw out so plan ahead.
• Turkeys need to be cooked to an internal temperate of 165 °F.
• Leftovers need to be refrigerated within two hours after serving.

Fire Safety

The average number of cooking fires on Thanksgiving is triple that of a normal day. In fact, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving. Here a few simple ways to avoid fires:

• “Stand by your pan” when cooking. Never leave food, grease, or oils cooking on the stovetop unattended. If you’re deep-frying that bird, keep the fryer outside, away from walls, and free from moisture.
• Potholders, oven mitts, food wrappers, and other things that can catch fire should be kept away from the stove.
• Children should also be kept away from hot stoves and paid particular attention to when they are in the kitchen.
• Facing pot handles towards the rear of the stove can save them from being knocked over and scalding people nearby.
• Long sleeves and loose clothing should be avoided while cooking as it can easily catch fire.
• Never douse a grease fire with water, as that can cause the fire to spread. Turn off the burner, smother the flames with a lid (wearing an oven mitt!), or douse with baking soda or a fire extinguisher if it’s getting out of hand.

Thanksgiving Travel Safety

This year will be different, but the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel times of the year, and with all the excitement, travelers can become more focused on celebrations than getting to their destination as safely as possible. If you are travelling, following these tips will keep everyone safe on the road and in the air:

• An emergency road kit is important to have in case of a breakdown or accident.
• Ideally, travel outside of the heaviest days to avoid congestion – which are the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday afterward.
• Get your car road-ready and start your trip with a full tank of gas.
• Don’t be distracted. It’s illegal to text and drive in many states and drivers who text and drive are much more likely to get into a crash than those who don’t.
• Don’t drink and drive. (Sorry, we know that’s really obvious).
• Food items in your carry-on luggage must be in clear plastic bags and less than 3.4 ounces.

CCIG is a Denver-area insurance, employee benefits and surety brokerage with clients nationwide. We do more than make sure you have the right policy. We help you manage your long-term cost of insurance with our risk and claims management expertise and a commitment to service excellence.

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