This holiday season reduce the chance of accidental shocks or destructive fires from breaking out in your building by keeping your residents informed. Each year emergency care facilities treat around 10,400 patients for cuts, shocks, and falls related to holiday light decorations. To protect your residents and building from potential harm, hand out a holiday information sheet with safety tips and your building’s holiday decoration policy. We’ll cover holiday light safety tips in this blog post – with more holiday decoration tips to follow!
Electrical Outlets
- Do not use any decorations with damaged electrical cords.
- Do not use an extension cord in place of an outlet. Should you use an extension cord, make sure it sits outside of high traffic areas.
- Do not overload outlets or power strips. When plugging in multiple electronics into an outlet, first check the load capacity and make sure your appliances do not exceed it. Overloaded cords will become hot and could start a fire.
Holiday Lights
- Before hanging holiday lights, read the ALWAYS instructions.
- Indoor lights are not certified for outdoor use. Do not use indoor lights for outdoor decorations.
- Check pre-used lights for any cord damage – bare wires or broken sockets. Do not use damaged sets. Dispose of damaged sets immediately.
- Replace burnt bulbs with new bulbs. Do not leave a bulb socket exposed.
- Do not “string” together more than three standard-size light sets.
- Fasten lights securely when hanging. Do not place holiday lights along a metallic surface.
- Turn off lights and decorations before you go to bed.
- Try to use electronic candles instead of regular candles with an exposed flame. Should you use regular candles, do not leave candles unattended or around unsupervised children/pets. Keep all matches and lighters away from children.
