Guelph Hydro reminds customers to deck the halls safely

Every year there are reports of tragic accidents due to improper or careless handling of plug-in holiday decorations, so Guelph Hydro is offering tips for keeping people safe this season. 

Here are utility's recommendations:

Decorating outdoors

• Before hanging outdoor lights, look up and around to locate any power lines, and keep yourself, ladder, poles and lights at least three metres away. Never hang holiday lights or other decorations on trees that are located near power lines.
• Use specially designed plastic eaves clips to hang outdoor lights. Never use nails, staples or tacks.
• Use only lights, cords, animated displays and decorations rated and approved by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) for outdoor use or wet locations.
• Plug outdoor decorations into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to avoid electrical shock. Use a GFCI extension cord if your outdoor outlet is not equipped with a GFCI.

Decorating indoors

• Ensure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order and are located on each level of your home.
• Carefully inspect each electrical decoration for cracked or loose sockets and frayed or bare wires that could cause a serious shock or fire hazard.
• Never replace burned out bulbs or install lights with the power on. Plug lights in to test them, and then unplug them before installing them or replacing bulbs.
• Avoid overloading electrical outlets and circuits, which can overheat and start a fire.
• Do not connect more than three strings of lights together.
• Do not connect LED strings of lights to conventional strings of lights.
• Be sure to turn off all holiday lights and decorations before going to bed or when you are not at home.
• Consider switching traditional incandescent holiday bulbs to LEDs. LEDs remain cool to the touch and don't pose a fire risk if they come into contact with trees or other decorations.