Make staying safe your No. 1 holiday priority

December 16th, 2024  |  Home

Decking the halls can be dangerous to your health.

On average, there are about 160 holiday decorating-related injuries each day during the festive season, with over 40 per cent of the incidents involving falls, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In 2022 about 14,800 people were treated in hospital emergency departments due to decorating-related injuries.

Every year, officials also warn of fire dangers be it from candles, inattentive cooks or faulty lights. Toys under the tree, too, can pose dangers to small children especially those containing small parts or other hazards. Decorations, food and gift wrapping are threats to pets.

So while the season brings joy, it’s not without risks. The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and Royal Canadian Mounted Police offer these safety tips:

Christmas Trees

• If buying a live tree, check for freshness. Needles should be hard to pull from branches and not break when bent between your fingers.
• Only buy “fire resistant” artificial trees. It doesn’t mean it won’t catch fire but will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
• Keep trees away from fireplaces and radiators. Heat dries out live trees quickly so keep stand filled with water. Place away from foot traffic and don’t block doors.
• When time to dispose of live tree, don’t burn it in fireplace and woodstove. It’s rapid burning can damage the firebox and chimney creating a fire hazard. Most municipalities recycle them. Find out the pickup date.

Lights/Electrical

• Use CSA-approved lights. Inspect indoor/outdoor lights and throw out damaged sets. Before buying or using them, visit the Healthy Canadians Recalls and Safety Alerts Databaseto check for recalls.
• Use no more than three standard sets of lights per single extension cord.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Turn off lights when you go to bed or leave the house. Lights could short out and start a fire.

Decorations

• Use non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or non-leaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they won’t be knocked over.
• In homes with small children, avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts or that resemble candy or food out of reach.

Holiday Entertaining

• Test your smoke alarms. Ensure guests are aware of exits.
• Keep children and pets away from lit candles and decorations.
• Clear walkways of snow and ice.
• Don't drink and drive or let your guests either. Plan ahead and have a designated driver, arrange for a cab or other transportation.

Fireplaces

• Don’t burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely. Never leave the fire unattended or let it smoulder.
• Don't hang stockings from the mantel when the fireplace is in use.
• Use a screen in front of the fireplace to protect against flying sparks.
• Clean ashes regularly. Place them in a metal container and store outside away from flammable materials.

Candles

• Never leave children or pets alone in a room with lit candles. Avoid high traffic areas. Even better, use battery-operated ones.
• Extinguish candles when leaving the room or going to sleep. Keep lit candles away from curtains and the tree.
• Place candles in sturdy, burn-resistant containers that won’t tip over and are big enough to collect dripping wax.
• Keep candle wicks short at all times. Trim the wick to one-quarter inch and extinguish before they burn out completely.

Heating

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

Kitchen

• If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from the stovetop.
• Grease and fat fires are a leading cause of home fires in Canada. If grease in a pot or pan catches fire: Turn off the heat immediately. Use baking soda (flour can be explosive) on shallow grease fires. Smother the flames by covering the pan with a lid. Never throw water on a grease fire. Don’t remove the lid until the pan is completely cooled.

Toys and gifts

In 2023, the CPSC toy-related deaths and injuries report found there were 11 deaths, and an estimated 145,500 emergency department-treated injuries in 2022 associated with toys for children 12 and younger. When giving toys:

• Minimize hazards by buying sturdy, well-made toys that are appropriate for your child's age. Remember, toys for older children may contain small parts or other hazards that may make them unsafe for young children.
• Check the Healthy Canadians Recalls and Safety Alerts Database for any recalls.