Safety Tips to Remember This Christmas
December 23, 2021
While the Christmas season can be exciting with all the decorations, there are also risks of accidents and injuries that come with those decorations. Here are some safety tips to keep in mind this holiday season to protect yourself, your family, and your home.
Unplug Decorations and Put Out Open Flames
Before going to bed, you should unplug the Christmas tree and all indoor electrical decorations, along with putting out all candles, fireplaces, and other open flames. You should also unplug your holiday decorations before leaving town to travel for the holidays. Unattended flames and plugged-in electronics can easily start house fires, which can injure you and your family if you are home, and place everything you own at risk of being lost.
Don’t Overload Electrical Outlets
While many of us like to put up lots of electrical holiday decorations, you should always avoid overloading outlets with too many decorations. Ideally, you should stick to one high voltage electronic appliance or device per outlet, and you should avoid using power strips whenever possible to plug multiple decorations into one socket. Overloading an electrical outlet creates a serious risk of sparking a house fire.
Never Leave an Active Stove or Oven Unattended
If you are cooking a holiday dinner or making food for a holiday party, you should make sure that someone is always in or watching the kitchen when you have the stove or oven on. Never leave your stove or oven or an electric cooking appliance running when no one is at home, even if you just plan to run a quick errand at the store. Unattended cooking appliances can also easily cause house fires.
In addition, now is a good time to make sure that you have a fire extinguisher for your kitchen that is rated to put out oil or grease fires.
Keep Flammable Materials Away from Heating Sources
The holiday season means busting out space heaters and lighting up the fireplace. However, you should always make sure that you don’t have decorations near your fireplace or space heaters. Many holiday decorations can be flammable, and having them sit near a space heater for too long or an ember flying out from the fireplace can quickly start a fire.
You should also make sure that you’ve had your chimney inspected and cleaned if you are using it for the first time during the winter season. Clogged chimney or fireplace damage can lead to smoke inhalation injuries or house fires if the fireplace cannot properly vent.
Keep Your Tree Watered
Finally, if you and your family have a Christmas tree, you should remember to water it every day to ensure that it stays hydrated. A dried-out Christmas tree can be combustible. If you plan to be away from home for an extended time during the holidays and cannot water your tree, you should remember to unplug tree lights and keep your tree away from potential ignition sources such as radiators, baseboards, or heater vents.
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Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries in Pennsylvania? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Goodrich & Geist, P.C. represent clients injured in Pittsburgh and the surrounding Western PA counties. Call (412) 766-1455 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 3634 California Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Home visits can be arranged in certain situations.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.
