Decking the halls can be hazardous to your health
Falls, lacerations and fires present dangers to holiday decorators
Christmas decorations are pretty — but they can also be pretty deadly.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were six fatalities and an estimated 14,000 injuries in the U.S. due to holiday decorations last year.
The CPSC says that's an average of about 230 injuries per day during the holiday season.
CPSC says the number 1 cause of decorating-related injuries is falls (41 per cent of such injuries), with half of those accidents involving falls from ladders.
The other big thing hurting those who let their inner Martha Stewart shine every holiday season? Lacerations.
Cuts from sharp implements and broken ornaments leave many in stitches.
Lighting up the holidays also carries a number of safety hazards. Christmas lights should be Canadian Standards Association (CSA) approved. Discard cords that are frayed and those with loose connections or broken sockets.
Seasonal lights recalled
When it comes to defective lights, Health Canada is on the lookout for incident reports from Canadian consumers, and companies that manufacture, import, or sell the lights are required to report problems.
In 2015, Health Canada undertook a national sampling and evaluation project to test seasonal lights "due to a number of incident reports received by the Department," spokesperson Gary Holub said.
That resulted in a large number of recalls in 2015 attributed to non-compliance for seasonal lights.
"This year's testing results showed a marked improvement over last year, with only two recalls," Holub said. "No other seasonal lights recalls are anticipated as a result of the 2016 marketplace project."
The regulator did issue a consumer product update on Dec. 7, of this year, with holiday safety tips including information about seasonal lights.
Not all holiday lights are electric. Candles should be kept away from curtains or anything that might catch fire and should be placed in an area where kids and pets can't easily access or knock them over.
Never leave your home or go to sleep with Christmas lights on or candles burning.
Dry trees a risk
And finally, we've all seen dramatic recreations of Christmas trees going up in flames.
Fire departments across North America stage timed videos of fires ravaging desiccated trees to show it doesn't take long for the parched wood to ignite and cause serious damage and life-threatening smoke.
The CPSC estimates fires involving Christmas trees rack up roughly $17 million in property loss per year.
Your best best is to choose a tree that has been freshly cut. Older, drier trees will typically shed more needles and should be avoided. You can give the tree a few bounces on the ground to see how many needles shake loose.
Once in your home, make sure you Christmas tree is well-watered and away from heat sources.