Holiday related injuries sent nearly 15,000 people to emergency rooms in November and December in 2014. The National Safety council suggests keeping the following in mind as you rush to finish last minute decorating and shopping:
• When hanging the last of the décor be sure to enlist the assistance of a helper, fall down injuries from ladders can be painful and difficult to recover from.
• Are your holiday light sets in good shape? You should discard any lights that have broken sockets, or that are frayed or bear exposed wires. If using an artificial tree check to see if it has a ‘fire resistant’ label.
• Watch out for sharp edges on décor, also be sure that decor that is weighted or breakable is placed in a secure area, especially if you have small children or animals in the house.
• When baking your holiday cookies or cooking your holiday meal don’t stray too far from the kitchen, experts estimate there are nearly 3x the number of kitchen fires during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year.
• Most importantly, keep the little ones safe this year by avoiding small parts when choosing toys for infants/young children. Consider avoiding toys that use coin lithium batteries, or ‘button batteries,’ these small batteries can be deadly if ingested, click here to learn more.
For more safety tips, including parking lot safety tips and mall safety tips click here.