Think beyond your garden this firework season
OPSS launches firework campaign to raise awareness of the impact that fireworks can have on others, alongside safety advice.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is urging the public to consider the wider community when hosting private firework displays.
Its ‘Think Beyond your garden, Know your Impact’ campaign seeks to raise awareness of the effect that fireworks can have on others along with a series of tips to those lighting the blue touchpaper.
While many people will understand rules around the safe use of fireworks, this new campaign encourages them to consider their effect on neighbours as well as pets and other animals.
Unexpected fireworks can be particularly difficult for some people, including veterans living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), people with anxiety or dementia, and autistic people and children with sensory sensitivities.
Advice from OPSS includes asking the public to choose fireworks appropriate to the setting, tipping off your neighbours beforehand and thinking about those who may have work or school the next day.
OPSS has produced a virtual toolkit for this firework season that contains a series of social media posts offering helpful advice.