Avoiding Pumpkin Carving Injuries This Halloween

Carving Jack O’ Lanterns is a beloved family tradition.

It is also the most common cause of Halloween-related injury and, fortunately, very much preventable.

No one would want a fun-filled family activity to turn into a trip to the ER. So, carve the pumpkin; not your hand! Read on to learn how to avoid pumpkin carving injuries.

How common are the injuries?

This study accessed The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) to study pumpkin carving injuries and provided the following insights:

• Period studied: 2012 to 2021.
• Number of reported cases: 20,579.
• Distribution: Hand injuries 87.6% of all, with the thumb (33.5%) and index finger (25.0%) most commonly affected.
• Men and women were injured at similar rates (51.6% vs 48.4%).
• The most common age group injured: 10 to 19-year-olds (31.5%), followed by children < 10 years (19.5%).
• Most ER presentations occurred on Saturdays (16.5%) or Sundays (23.3%). The large majority were in the months of October (83.5%) and by November (11.2%). Almost half of all cases (45.6%) occurred in the last week of October.
• Peak incidence of injury: October 30th.

As you can see, there have been over 20,000 reported cases in a 10-year period. One can only make a guess how many cases of pumpkin carving injuries were left unreported!

Do not be a statistic- follow some basic tenets of safety and avoid pumpkin carving injuries.

Why invest in pumpkin carving tools?

A good pumpkin carving tool is one of the best investments you will make to avoid pumpkin carving injuries.

Think of the stress, time, energy, money, and loss of workdays you would end up spending in the event of a knife injury while carving.

Injuries can still happen, mind you, but as this brilliant study done on cadavers comparing pumpkin knives with serrated and plain kitchen knives has shown, the injuries produced by them were fewer and less severe than those caused by the kitchen knives.

Look out for tools with rubber handles, as it gives a better grip.

• Carve in a well-lit room.
• Keep pumpkin on a stable surface.
• Keep sharp tools separate from items meant for children. (e.g. spoons, markers, blunt gouges).
• Pumpkins are wet & sticky, loosening the grip. Keep towels, soap, and running water close by to keep hands and tools nonsticky and dry.
• Preferably use tools with a rubber handle, which gives a better grip.
• Use safety glasses (even swim goggles will do).

• Absolutely No Sharps!
• Always have an adult supervising.
• Fun knife-free activities that the kids can do include:
  • Pumpkin selection.
  • Outlining the features.
  • Grab a spoon and scoop, scoop, scoop.
  • Decorating the pumpkin.
  • Older children may be given blunt gouges to start with.

• Don’t Rush!
• Choose proper tools- bigger & sharper is not necessarily the best. Sharp tools can lodge inside the pumpkin and can be hard to remove.
• Do not put your hand inside while carving.
• Wipe till dry your hands and tools regularly.
• Stop carving when kids come too close to peek inside the pumpkin. Many eye injuries have happened this way.
• Carve away from yourself and not towards you.
• Don’t forget that the pumpkin has a hard shell but is soft and slimy inside.

• Do Not Panic. Stay Calm.
• Apply pressure with a clean cloth.
• Elevate the hand above the level of the heart.
• Visit the ER if:
  • Bleeding does not stop even after 15 minutes.
  • The wound is deep, esp. structures like bone, muscle, and tendons are visible.
  • Cannot bend or straighten your finger.
  • Numbness in the finger.

Video Resources

Trivia

Once upon a time in Ireland, Stingy Jack tricked the Devil for a small monetary gain. After he died, God refused to let him enter Heaven, and the Devil refused to let him into Hell. The Devil sent Stingy Jack into the dark night to roam for eternity with only a piece of coal to light the way. The ever-resourceful Stingy Jack lit the coal, put it in a hollowed-out turnip, and since then, has been drifting through the world, scaring children and adults alike!