A trip to the emergency room is no way to spend the holidays yet last year 15,000 people were treated in the ER for decorating-related injuries during November and December. Such mishaps have been on the rise since, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The holidays are also a busy time for fire departments responding to calls of blazes started by candles, faulty lights, and dried-out Christmas trees. Here are five surefire ways to ruin your holidays.
It may look funny in the movies but falling off a ladder is no joke. In fact, ladder accidents result in roughly 200,000 emergency-room visits and 300 deaths each year. If you’re decorating the house, have a buddy hold the ladder for you to keep it stable and then follow these tips:
Trees ignited an average of 200 fires annually from 2009 to 2011 resulting in 10 deaths, 20 injuries, and $16 million in property loss, according to the CPSC. To avoid fire hazards, pick a fresh tree and cut an inch off the bottom to help it absorb water then follow these tips.
Candle-related fires resulted in another 70 deaths, 680 injuries and $308 million in property loss from 2009 through 2011. The majority of the fires started because the candle was too close to combustibles like decorations and curtains. Try battery-operated or electric flameless candles or if using real candles do the following.
Decorative lights cause an average of 170 home structure fires, 7 deaths, 17 injuries and $7.9 million in property damage each year. To stay safe, discard lights with broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Use an extension cord that’s been rated for the intended use and follow these tips.
Fires related to heating systems, including fireplaces, result in 50,100 fires, 150 deaths, 575 injuries, and $326 million in property loss annually, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Before lighting any fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area and do the following:
Home fires are often unpredictable, and they can be deadly. That's why you need one full-floor, multipurpose fire extinguisher on each level of your home and one in your garage, plus smaller, supplemental units for the kitchen and car.
—Artemis DiBenedetto
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