CPSC Warns of Fire, Other Hazards Related to Holiday Decorating
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Holiday decorating is often depicted in movies by
characters who hang countless strings of lights and suffer falls from
ladders or rooftops for comic effect. Unfortunately, these types of
incidents are grounded in reality and, unlike in the movies, they are
often no laughing matter. In fact, each year it is estimated that about
12,500 people go to hospital emergency rooms for falls, cuts, shocks and
burns related to holiday decorating, according to U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC) statistics.
“Holiday decorating incidents often involve faulty holiday lights,
candles and dried-out Christmas trees,” said Acting CPSC Chairman Nancy
Nord. “Follow the CPSC’s safety tips to keep your holidays fun and
festive, as suffering a serious injury is not on anyone’s list.”
Christmas trees are involved in about 300 fires annually. This results
in an average of 20 deaths, 40 injuries and about $8 million in property
damage and loss. In addition, there are nearly 15,000 candle-related
fires each year, which result in 170 deaths and $327 million in property
loss.
To help prevent these types of incidents, CPSC monitors holiday lights
and other decorations sold at stores and on the Internet. CPSC works
with the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to identify and prevent
unsafe holiday light sets that pose fire risks from being distributed in
the U.S.
Use the following safety tips when decorating this year:
Trees and Decorations:
When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.”
Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does
indicate the tree is more resistant to burning.
When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green,
needles are hard to pull from branches and do not break when bent
between your fingers. The bottom of a fresh tree is sticky with resin,
and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and
radiators. Because heated rooms dry out live trees rapidly, be sure to
keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of
traffic, and do not block doorways.
Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree.
Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals.
Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
In homes with small children, take special care to avoid sharp or
breakable decorations, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of
the reach of children who could swallow or inhale small pieces, and
avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to
eat them.
To avoid eye and skin irritation, wear gloves when decorating with spun
glass “angel hair.”
To avoid lung irritation, follow container directions carefully while
decorating with artificial snow sprays.
Lights:
Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by
a nationally-recognized testing laboratory, such as UL or ETL/ITSNA. Use
only newer lights that have thicker wiring and are required to have
safety fuses to prevent the wires from overheating.
Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets,
frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Throw out damaged sets.
If using an extension cord, make sure it is rated for the intended use.
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.
When using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been
certified for outdoor use and plug them into only ground-fault circuit
interrupter (GFCI) protected receptacles.
Turn off all holiday lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The
lights could short out and start a fire.
Candles:
Keep burning candles within sight.
Keep lighted candles away from items that can burn easily, such as
trees, other evergreens, decorations, curtains and furniture.
Always use non-flammable holders and keep away from children and pets.
Extinguish all candles before you go to bed or leave the house.
Fireplaces:
Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown on
wood fires. They contain heavy metals that, if eaten, can cause intense
gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting. Keep them away from children.
Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. Wrappings can ignite
suddenly and burn intensely, resulting in a flash fire.
Place a screen around your fireplace to prevent sparks from igniting
nearby flammable materials.
Get free brochures with holiday decorating (pdf) and toy safety tips at
CPSC’s web site www.cpsc.gov
To see this release on CPSC’s web site, including a link to a video clip
on holiday decoration safety, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07046.html
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting
the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more
than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.
Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents
cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed
to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire,
electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The
CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys,
cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals -
contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of
deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30
years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s
hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or
visit CPSC’s web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email
subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can
obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at
www.cpsc.gov.
The above is courtesy of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If you want to meet the folks from the fire department, c’mon down during our open house during fire prevention week. You don’t want to meet us in person at 0300 when it ain’t just chestnuts roasting. 