Holiday lights and decorations are a special part of the season but also bring an increased potential for injury, especially to young children.
During November and December 2014, holiday decorations or decorating safety mishaps accounted for 12 fatalities and an estimated 14,500 injuries nationwide, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The dangers that lurk behind holiday decor are often associated with electrical safety, tree- decorating mistakes, falls, lacerations and ingestion of foreign or poisonous objects.
“The holiday season brings an increased risk for fire and burn injuries, as well as lacerations from breakable decorations and choking or poisoning from children who attempt to ingest small or poisonous objects,” said Purnima Unni, MPH, CHES, Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention Program Manager at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. “It is important to follow the safety tips provided when decorating, and make sure all young children are under active adult supervision.”
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt offers these tips to keep homes safe and prevent holiday-related injuries:
Safe Decorating
· Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety. Identify these by the label from an independent testing laboratory.
· Look for the “ETL” or “UL” label on lights to make sure they have been tested for safety.
· Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Discard damaged sets or repair them before using.
· Don’t overload extension cords or outlets with too many plugs.
· Turn off and unplug all lights on trees and other decorations when you go to bed or leave the house.
· Make sure an adult is present when candles are lit, and blow out the candles before leaving a room.
· Keep candles at least three feet away from anything that might burn.
· Store candles, matches and lighters out of sight and reach of children.
· Many artificial trees are fire resistant. If you buy one, look for a statement specifying this protection.
· Live trees should be watered frequently, keeping the stand filled with water at all times.
· Place tree away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources. Heated rooms dry trees out rapidly, creating fire hazards.
· Avoid putting ornaments that have small parts or metal hooks, or look like food or candy, on lower branches easily accessible to young children.
Poison Prevention
• Keep alcohol, including baking extracts, out of reach of children.
• Color additives used in fireplace fires are a toxic product and should be stored out of reach.
• Mistletoe and holly berries, and the Jerusalem cherry plant can be poisonous. If they are used in decorating, make sure children and pets cannot reach them.
For more information about holiday safety and other home safety tips, visit www.childrenshospital.vanderbilt.org/safety. In a poison emergency, call the Tennessee Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222.