Firework laws can be tricky, therefore Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost provides these words of caution for those preparing to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
“In small towns and large cities alike, fireworks will light up Ohio nights throughout the week,” he said. “Just make sure your own backyard isn’t ground zero for those red, white and blue pyrotechnics.”
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A resident over the age of 18 can purchase fireworks from a licensed dealer, according to the Ohio Revised Code, but they’re prohibited from setting them off unless he or she is a license exhibitor of fireworks.
In the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) 2018 annual report on fireworks, an estimated 5,600 firework-related injuries were treated during a one-month period between June 22 and July 22, which is nearly two-thirds of the 9,100 firework-related injuries reported in 2018.
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The CPSC report also states, "the parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (an estimated 28%); legs (an estimated 24%); eyes (an estimated 19%); head, face, and ears (an estimated 15%); and arms (an estimated 4%)."