Holiday Safety Questionnaire

‘Tis the season for extra decorations in the home ... candles, ornaments, lights, Christmas trees, gift wrap, and more. Celebrating the holiday season safely, whether it be Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Christmas, involves a little extra knowledge and planning. Take this brief True or False quiz to check your holiday safety IQ. Answers and explanations are provided below.

1. If there are no children or pets in your home, you do not need consider how safe your decorations are.
2. Burning wrapping materials in your fireplace is a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of them.
3. Artificial greens and trees do not present a fire hazard.
4. You should not connect more than three sets of lights to an extension cord.
5. To keep your live Christmas tree from drying out, never re-cut it after purchase.
6. Your decorations should not obstruct your home’s entrances, exits, or high-traffic areas.
7. If you plug in a string of lights and it works, there is no need to examine the entire strand.
8. You should extinguish all candles before you leave home or go to sleep.

Answers

1. If there are no children or pets in your home, you do not need consider how safe your decorations are.
   
   FALSE. Whether or not there are children or pets in your home, you should avoid using metal ornaments and garlands made of metallic or synthetic compounds. They are electric shock hazards. If you are working with decorative materials such as spun glass or angel hair, you should wear gloves since they can irritate your skin.
   
   If you do have small children or pets in your home, be alert to the following hazards. You may want to consider excluding them or at least hanging them well out of reach:
   
   
   • Fragile glass ornaments or ornaments that could be mistaken for food or candy
   • Older ornaments that could be made with toxic materials such as lead-based paints
   • Tinsel hung within reach, which can present a swallowing or choking hazard
   
   
2. Burning wrapping materials in your fireplace is a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of them.
   
   FALSE. The dyes and inks in wrapping materials can create toxic fumes when burned and can even cause a flash fire.
   
   
3. Artificial greens and trees do not present a fire hazard.
   
   FALSE. Even flame-resistant artificial greens and trees can catch fire, especially if they have accumulated years of dust buildup. Washing your artificial greens each year and storing the parts in plastic bags will minimize the fire hazard.
   
   
4. You should not connect more than three sets of lights to an extension cord.
   
   TRUE. And if you string lights together using built-in connectors, you should not join more than 200 midget lights or 50 larger lamps through one string or cord.
   
   
5. To keep your live Christmas tree from drying out, never recut it after purchase.
   
   FALSE. When you’re ready to put up your tree, cut a one- or two-inch diagonal slice off the bottom of the trunk. This helps the tree absorb water and stay fresh longer. Keep the stand filled with water the entire time the tree is indoors.
   
   
6. Your decorations should not obstruct your home’s entrances, exits, or high-traffic areas.
   
   TRUE. Set up your decorations away from high-traffic areas to keep them from getting knocked over and also to allow convenient access to entrances and exits. You should also keep electrical cords well away from high-traffic areas where people can trip over them.
   
   
   
   
7. If you plug in a string of lights and it works, there is no need to examine the entire strand.
   
   FALSE. You can identify hazardous conditions by taking a few minutes to examine each strand of lights before you hang them. Check each new strand to see that it has a factory label stating it is UL tested and approved. Whether the strand is new or old, check light bulbs, sockets, wires and plugs for cracks, broken parts, and exposed wiring. Replace any missing or broken parts and be careful to never bypass a fuse. Do a final check on each set by placing it on a nonflammable surface and plugging it in for 10-15 minutes to ensure that the lights don’t smoke or melt.
   
   
8. You should extinguish all candles before you leave home or go to sleep.
   
   TRUE. Lit candles should never be left unattended. You should also be careful to use candle holders that will not tip, and never place lit candles on your tree. If you place candles in a window, make sure curtains and draperies are secured well away from the flames. Whenever you light candles, take care to keep clothing and other flammables away from the flame. Loose or flowing garments require extra caution around candles and fireplaces.

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APS Risk Management invites you to send comments and questions to cahoppe@aps.k12.co.us
Last updated 11/1/06.