Tips for a spook-tacularly safe Halloween

Ah Halloween, a splendidly spooky celebration falling on October 31 each year. The Halloween tradition is said to originate from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires to frighten off evil spirits. It's also linked to Christianity and All Saints Day (celebrated on 1 November); where the night before All Saints Day — known as All Hallows Eve — involved a huge celebration of feasts and holy masses to honour fallen martyrs. Fast forward to today, and the holiday has taken on a whole new life. Households are decorated with creepy creatures and scary skeletons, kids go trick or treating, and people young and old dress up in colourful costumes.

So how do you embrace all the frightful fun of the holiday without unnecessary risk? We break down the key things to know.

Around 30% of Australian bird nests incorporate human-made materials — primarily plastics like fishing line and polymer rope — which can harm young chicks. In recent years, fake spiderwebs have become another culprit. Birds mistakenly use the material for nesting, and because of its strong synthetic fibres, the artificial strands can trap and strangle vulnerable nestlings, leading to injury or death. Birds can also fly into the fake webs with similarly devastating outcomes.

Get crafty: Hand-cut paper spiderwebs. There are some incredible tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest (simply search 'DIY Paper Spider Web') to guide you if you're unsure how to start. You can also use different sized paper to create large and small webs.

Opt for indoor webs only: If you simply can't part with the idea of fake spiderwebs, hang them inside your home's window frames instead. This allows them to be seen from outside without causing risk or harm to birdlife.

The increase of physical and online budget retailers has raised alarm bells for Halloween product safety in recent years, with audits revealing all sorts of nightmarish findings; from toxic lead levels in children's Halloween face paints, to novelty products that failed to meet required button battery standards.

Shop online with caution: Avoid buying cheap light-up novelty toys from overseas websites. Some online retailers may not follow Australian laws and safety requirements and you won't be able to physically inspect a product to know if it's safe.

Carefully inspect Halloween toys and gadgets: If a product has a button battery, check it has an age-appropriate label, a safety warning statement, and a secure battery compartment (that needs a tool to open it). Better yet, consider avoiding products with button batteries altogether if you have young kids.

Always read the label: if you're buying face or body paints, always check for a non-toxic label and the listed ingredients to ensure it's safe to use. Be mindful that just because a product contains a non-toxic label, it doesn't mean an allergic or chemical reaction won't happen.

An elaborate candelabra set amongst an assortment of glowing pumpkins certainly does set the scene, but an accidental knock or forgotten flame while you're out trick-or-treating could spell trouble. Fires caused by candles are no joke, so they need to be used safely.

• Ensuring candles are kept out of reach of children.
• Always extinguishing candles when you leave a room.
• Never leaving candles unattended or in places where they can fall or set alight curtains, tablecloths or upholstery.
• Making sure you have working smoke alarms installed.

You might also consider using flameless LED candles instead. Battery-operated candles offer a similar glow to real wax candles, but without the risk of an open flame.

If the kids are keen on some nighttime trick-or-treating, it's important to stay safe and visible so they can be seen by drivers and cyclists pulling into driveways.