Holiday Season Poses Hazards

As the nation gears up to decorate their homes for the holiday season, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds consumers of decorating dangers and provides tips for a safe holiday. CPSC demonstrated some of the hazards, including Christmas tree and candle fires at its laboratory in Rockville, Maryland.

“Safety should be part of all your decorating efforts,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. “Make sure your live Christmas tree has plenty of water, keep lit candles away from flammable items, and use caution when standing on a ladder or a chair to hang decorations.”

Holiday decorating-related injuries:

CPSC estimates the following holiday decoration-related emergency room-treated injuries nationwide during last year’s holiday season.

• 14,700 holiday decorating related ER-treated injuries. That’s an average of about 240 injuries per day during the holiday season of November and December!
• The most frequent holiday decorating incidents involved falls (41%), lacerations (10%) and back strains (5%).
• Three deaths involving ladder falls.

**Average annual estimates from 2012 to 2014 for the months of November through December.

The CPSC offers safety tips to keep your family safe:

Source: CPSC