We’re all looking forward to Christmas and enjoying the festivities, but in all the excitement, a simple accident can easily happen.
Our health and safety team have put together 12 festive tips to make sure you have a safe, healthy and happy Christmas!
Twelve safety tips
- Make sure your Christmas lights meet the recommended standards and don’t let children or pets play with the lights.
- Many Christmas decorations may look like toys but they often don’t need to apply the same safety standards as toys. Make sure to put them out of reach!
- Make sure to keep decorations and cards away from fires, candles and other heat sources. Have you seen how quickly a Christmas tree can burn a room?
- Christmas dinner is our favourite time of the day, but it also involves a lot of hot fat, boiling water and sharp knives. Be sure to give yourself enough time to avoid rushing!
- Beware of trailing, tangled cables in a rush to plug in and charge new gadgets.
- Use scissors, rather than a knife, to open gift packaging. Make sure you’ve got a screwdriver handy to put things together with.
- Falls are the most common accidents, especially if people aren’t familiar with the layout of a home. Keep your guests and family safe by keeping clutter to a minimum.
- Celebrating the New Year with fireworks? Make sure to follow ROSPA’s Fireworks Code
- Do not drink and drive, and give yourself plenty of time to complete journeys to visit family. It’s worth making sure you’ve got drinks, warm coats and supplies in the car ready should anything go wrong.
- Keep an eye out for small items, like decorations or batteries that may cause a choking hazard.
- Have you got all the batteries you need for gifts? Don’t be tempted to remove them from a smoke alarm.
- Children’s gifts from reputable retailers come with an age rating which includes safety standards. Check the toy safety pages for more information.
Finally, have a fantastic Christmas and New Year! With some simple tips, you can make sure its one to remember for all the right reasons.