Diwali Cracker Safety Checklist for Families
A run-through-it-out-loud Diwali safety checklist for families, built from PESO do and dont guidance: what to have ready, how to light safely, and burn first aid.
A Diwali cracker safety checklist for families works best as a short list you actually run through before anyone lights the first cracker, not a set of rules read once and forgotten. PESO, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, publishes the official do's and don'ts every household should follow, and most of the checklist below comes directly from that guidance.
Before you light anything
Change into thick cotton clothing rather than synthetic fabric, and secure any loose clothing before you start. Keep a bucket of water within reach the entire time, not just for cleanup afterwards, since every major fire starts small and a bucket nearby is the fastest way to stop one early. Pick an open area away from trees, overhead wires and buildings, especially before anything aerial goes up, and never burst crackers inside the house, in a narrow lane or on a public thoroughfare.
While the family is lighting crackers
Use a long candle or a phooljhari to ignite each cracker, never hold a firecracker while lighting it, place it at ground level, ignite, and step back with your elbow straight to keep maximum distance from your body. Light only one firework at a time, with one person doing the lighting while everyone else watches from a safe distance; a community-style display where one person handles the ignition is safer than several people lighting things at once. An adult should supervise every stage where children are present, and small children should never handle fireworks alone.
If something goes wrong
A dud that hasn't gone off should never be relit or approached immediately. PESO's guidance is to wait 15 to 20 minutes, then soak it in a bucket of water rather than touching it directly. If a fire starts, that bucket of water you kept ready is your first response. For skin burns, pour a large quantity of water on the burnt area; for anything more serious, extinguish any smouldering clothing, remove it, wrap the person in a clean bedsheet and get them to a hospital without panicking, and without driving recklessly to get there, a short delay to drive safely is immaterial. Never apply paste, oil, haldi, raw cotton, cream, ointment or ice to a burn, ice specifically can deepen the injury. For an eye burn, wash the eye with tap water for 10 minutes and go straight to a hospital.
After the crackers are done for the evening
Don't burst sound-emitting crackers between 10 pm and 6 am under PESO's general guidance, and check whether your state has set narrower hours for Diwali specifically, several set an 8-10 pm window on the day itself. Once you're done, soak any spent items in water before disposing of them, and never store unused crackers near a burning candle or diya.
Keep the checklist visible
Run through this list out loud with the family before the first cracker is lit, not silently in your head. It takes two minutes and covers the moments where most preventable injuries actually happen.