Enjoying a Safe Holiday Season
December is the time of the year when we have a lot of things on our minds: finding that hot item that all of the kids want, picking out the right gifts for our spouses, thinking about the parties we are going to, or just how we are going to pay for all of this. This is also the time of the year when a lot of people suffer from anxiety, depression, or loneliness, and are injured at work because they are not focused.
During the holiday season, we also do certain tasks at home that we may only perform once a year. Let’s take a look at some of those tasks and see how taking some basic precautions can keep us safe during the holiday season.
Decorations
- Always use a proper ladder. Don’t stand on furniture to decorate a tree.
- Decorate the tree with your kids in mind. Move ornaments that are fragile to
- the back or top of the tree, out of reach.
- Make sure there are no exposed or frayed wires, loose connections, or broken sockets on the lights.
- For outdoor lights, use a GFCI breaker and don’t overload the circuits by stringing too many light strands together or using multiple extension cords.
Cooking
Many people have started to deep-fry turkeys during the holiday season, but over 2000 house fires occur annually because of a turkey-cooking incident.
- Set up the cooker a minimum of ten (10) feet away from the house.
- Keep children away from the fire.
- Use a thawed and dry turkey. A frozen or wet turkey will cause the cooking oil to bubble furiously and spill over.
- Make sure the cooker is set up on even ground.
- Have a fire extinguisher handy at all times.
Candles
Many people like to burn candles as part of their holiday decorations.
- 2200 deaths were caused by fire-related incidents in 2015.
- Never leave burning candles unattended.
- Keep candles out of the reach of children.
- Don’t burn candles near trees, curtains, or other flammable items, such as furniture.
Selecting Gifts
Select gifts that are age-appropriate.
- Do not give gifts to toddlers that can easily be put in their mouths.
- Young children don’t need electric toys that they have to plug in/out of outlets to operate. Consider battery-operated electrical toys.
- Avoid gifts that are too heavy or awkward to handle.
Holiday Traveling
Many of us will be traveling over the holiday season. They may be just short trips for shopping or longer trips to your parents’ or grandparents’ house for a visit.
- Use a designated driver to make it home safely after a holiday party if you are planning to drink.
- Make sure every person is buckled up properly.
- Do not drive while distracted. Put the cell phone away.
- Make sure the vehicle is properly maintained.
- Don’t over-pack the car, as this can create blind spots in the vehicle.
- Be prepared for heavier than normal traffic and possibly bad weather.
- Don’t become so distracted by everything that you have going on in your life during the holiday season that you take your mind off of your job task and become injured or cause a coworker to be injured by your inattentiveness.
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Following a few safety tips can make the holiday season a joyous time for us all.
