The Safety Committee is reaching out to bring you some interesting and helpful safety information! Each month you will receive an e-mail from the Safety Committee regarding different safety topics. If you have topics you think would be helpful to your Support Inc. team, or you would be interested in joining, please reach out to you Residential Program Coordinator to connect with anyone on the Safety Committee.
December safety topic: Being safe with electricity!
Did you know 150 home fires per year happen because of holiday lights or decorative lighting, accounting for $8.9 million in property damage each year, as well as occasional injury and rare fatality??
Here are some helpful tips for you to ensure you’ll be safe this holiday season!:
- Inspect all electrical decorations for damage before use. If you notice cracked or damaged sockets, loose or bare wires, and loose connections, do not attempt to use these as they are hazardous and may cause a serious shock or start a fire. Tip: LED lights are the best. Not only will they use up to much less power, but they run cooler, are less of a fire hazard and are long-lasting
- Most of us use extension cords when decorating for the holidays. Do you know if your extension cords are properly rated for their intended use? According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, faulty extension cords cause 3,300 residential fires each year, resulting in 50 deaths and 270 injuries
- Do not overload electrical outlets. Overloaded electrical outlets are the number one cause of electrical fires during the holiday season. Avoid overloading outlets and plugging high wattage appliances into one outlet
- Never connect more than three strings of incandescent lights at a time. More than three strands can blow a fuse, and is also high risk to cause a fire because the wires overheat
- Water your tree. Dry trees are a fire hazard!
- Protect cords from damage. To avoid shock or fire hazards, cords should never be pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces such as doors or windows, placed under rugs, or attached by nails or staples
- Turn off, unplug, all decorations and extinguish all candles before going to sleep or leaving your home
- Keep candles away from anything flammable – especially a Christmas tree. Also pay attention to what is above candles; the hottest place is right above a candle. Paper, cardboard, synthetic fabrics and decorations can all easily catch fire
