Christmas is the most joyous time when we connect with family and friends not normally seen the rest of the year so everyone is excited, stressed and busy prepping food and cooking. With so many people in the house there is less space to move around so more scope for trips and spills especially when there are excited children running around. Toys are left all over the floor and throw in a dose of alcohol and you have the recipe for disaster.
Trailing wires are a death trap so make sure you run wires away from any walkways and especially away from stairs. There are great sets of battery lights available so it’s worth investing a few pounds rather than risk an accident.
Garlands on the bannister have the potential for causing falls on the stairs so make sure you wind them around the spindles not the handrail. If someone trips on the stairs and they grab for the handrail which is covered in a garland it has the potential for giving way and causing a catastrophic fall. If you put lights on the garland make sure they are battery operated.
LED lights are a no brainer, they are low voltage so less likely to cause an accident. Most of the bulbs are non-replaceable so no more spending hours looking for the broken bulb. They are cool to touch so essential if there are children in the house. They cost very little to run, just a couple of pounds for the whole of the festive period. They are long lived so will need replacing less often, so throw out the old filament lights and invest in a new string of lights.
Candles are a huge cause of fires, they get lit and forgotten, a curtain blows into the flame, wrapping paper gets into the flame, they get knocked over, someone has trailing clothing which catches alight and so on. The list of how they cause serious injury is endless. Not all candle accidents are just a simple burn they can cost you your house so consider investing in the battery operated candles.
Fireworks let off at Christmas cause a huge amount of distress to pets and wildlife with the noise factor alone but then you have the waste which can choke animals. Flying lighted debris can also burn down barns containing hay and straw or houses if you have a thatched roof.
Lights are a major cause of accidents at Christmas so make sure you check the condition of the wiring thoroughly. If there are any frayed wires throw them away and invest in a new set, don’t just put a bit of tape around the damaged area.
Ladders are an accident waiting to happen so if you are decorating the outside of the house make sure they are long enough to reach where you are wanting to work and that there is someone with you to foot the bottom. Always place it on a firm even surface.
Fireproof decorations are a must, the old paper chains are a fire hazard if they fall down and land in the fire, on the woodburner or into a lit candle. Buying from a reputable supplier is essential as all their goods will have been sourced from manufacturers which adhere to safety codes.
Weatherproof boxes for outside lights ensure you don’t have trailing wires out of the window or the door. Make sure you have an electrician fit the box. Not only is it great for Christmas lights but you can also run a fountain and the electric garden tools. If you don’t want to go to the expense of installing an outside box invest in outdoor safe battery operated lights.
UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marks have replaced CE marks on electrical items which means they have been tested to comply with our safety laws so only buy from a reputable supplier. Older products may still have the CE mark. Some less scrupulous vendors buy direct from unregulated sources abroad so be careful from whom you buy your electrical items. It is tempting to buy a cheaper version of something which is only going to be used for a few weeks a year but please resist.
Toys with small parts for little children should be avoided at all costs to prevent any potentially fatal choking incidents.
Lithium batteries left lying around and accessible to small children are potentially fatal if swallowed so try and avoid the Christmas toys which have these small batteries or else make sure they cannot access the battery compartment.
Hammering nails into walls can be hugely expensive if you go through electric cables or water pipes aside from the unsightly hole left behind. Use clips with sticky pads to hold lights or decorations.
Place Christmas cards or paper items away from an open fire or a candle flame where there is the potential for them blowing over into the flame.
Don’t leave Christmas tree lights or lighted items burning all night, not only is it more cost effective but you also lessen the risk of fire breaking out when you are asleep.
Don’t water the Christmas tree when the lights are switched on, make sure you only put the water into the well of the Christmas tree stand. Water landing on a frayed wire will short out the electrics and potentially cause a fire.
Don’t spray hairspray onto the Christmas tree to keep the needles on the tree over the festive period, buy a low needle drop tree such as the Nordmann fir. Hairspray is extremely flammable and a huge risk if someone is smoking in the vicinity.
Bringing down the decorations from the loft has the potential for causing a serious accident. Make sure you have a proper loft ladder and there is someone at the bottom when you bring down the tree and the decorations. If you have a large tree bring it down in pieces rather than struggling with a huge box. If you only have a stepladder to access the loft consider investing in a dedicated fitted ladder, it could be cheaper in the long run than weeks off work due to broken bones.
Don’t prepare food when stressed or distracted, 49% of people have an accident while preparing Christmas food. We all eat far more food than normal over Christmas so we spend a huge amount of time in the kitchen. We always want it to be as special as possible for our family and friends so the stress levels are higher than usual. Added to this there are often many more people milling around, excited and tired children getting under your feet and the chances of an accident are far higher than normal.
Setting fire to the Christmas pudding can have fatal consequences if you walk through the house from the kitchen so if you have to do it light it at the table and make just one person in charge of proceedings.
Roasting chestnuts over an open fire is another potential flash point. Make sure you have the correct long handled BBQ tools and fireproof gloves for taking them off the fire.
Confine toys to one area if possible, masses of small items strewn over the floor are a recipe for disaster, especially for the elderly.
Alcohol is responsible for many of the above accidents so please don’t drink more than you can handle.
