Preventing Common Holiday-Related Injuries

Throughout the holiday season, between November and December, every hour 10 people are injured from holiday decorating activities. These are 100% preventable, so don't let this happen to you! The most common injuries include falls, fires, suffocation, and poisonings. Keep the following decorating safety tips as part of your decorating checklist to keep you and your family away from the emergency room and safe this holiday.

Falls

Most commonly are those falling from unstable ladders while hanging lights and decorations both inside and outside the home. Additional fall are from light strands being a fall and trip hazard. See Decorating Safety.

Fires

As you embrace the joy of the holidays, prioritize safety by being aware of these fire risks and taking steps to protect your home, and you and your family this holiday season. Tree fires are most common between Christmas and New Year's when trees become more dried. Tree fires happen because:

• 1) The tree is not being watered. Live trees dry quickly in a warm home, especially when not watered regularly causing a high fire risk.
  
• 2) The tree is placed too close to a heat source, and
  
• 3)  Too many strands of lights plugged into together.
  

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that U.S. fire departments respond to an estimated average of 835 home structure fires each year caused by decorations—excluding Christmas trees—resulting in an annual toll of approximately 3 civilian fire deaths, 30 injuries, and $14 million in property damage.

Notably, too many strands or broken wiring or bulbs are responsible in over 40% of home Christmas tree fires. Additionally, lamps and bulbs account for nearly 20% of these incidents, while candles contribute 11% to the fire risk. It's important to recognize that roughly 40% of Christmas tree fires originate in the living room, highlighting the need for caution in our most festive spaces. See Christmas Tree Safety, Holiday Light Safety, and Fireplace Safety)

Candle usage peaks in December and January, with 11% of candle fires occurring in each of these months. Furthermore, Thanksgiving stands out as the top day for home cooking fires, closely followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Throughout the year, candles are responsible for one-third of decoration fires, a figure that nearly doubles to 46% in December (See Decorating Safety).

Falls, Poisonings, and Suffocation among Toddler-aged Children

Children under the age of 5 are also treated in emergency departments during this time of year for injuries from:

• 1) Falls: Generally, falls from shopping carts and escalator related, while parents are shopping; and
• 2) Poisoning & Suffocation: In the home toddlers are at most risk from being exposed to poisonous holiday plants and decorations that look like candy. Suffocation is common among toddlers from swallowing small ornaments or candy-like ornaments. Toddlers are curious, and even tree decorations look edible.
  
• See Shopping Safety, Holiday Plant Safety, Child-Safe Gift Guide, and Decorating Safety.
  

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