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This week on Health Watch, we’re talking about making Halloween a little less scary from a health perspective. For the ideal Halloween, you want the scares to be fun and not the sort that lead to emergency room visits. Dr. Paul Pepe, chairman of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, offers these tips for a safe, fun Halloween:

• Travel in groups and use the buddy system while trick-or-treating.
• Adults should supervise younger children.
• Make sure costumes, wigs, fake beards and other accessories are flame-proof.
• Masks, wigs and fake facial hair should fit properly so it doesn’t slip and impair vision.
• Carry a flashlight and put reflective tape on costumes and treat bags so kids can be seen.
• Follow safety rules about crossing streets only at corners and not dashing out into the street from between parked cars.
• Don’t visit unfamiliar houses and check treats before eating them.