Safe Christmas and New Year's Eve

The Christmas tree, the ornaments, the gifts and the holiday meals have made Christmas and New Year's Eve particularly exciting holidays. There are many ways to celebrate but only one way to stay safe: abide by the safety guidelines.

Setting up the Christmas tree at home

The Christmas tree and the ornaments hanging on it add to the holiday atmosphere – but alongside the joy and light, they may be dangerous. Before buying a tree or setting one up at home, make sure that the tree is stable to prevent it from falling and harming people or the environment. Note that Christmas trees are flammable. It is therefore important to keep them away from any source of heat, such as an oven, and from other flammable materials such as curtains and tablecloths, to prevent fires.

Decorating the tree

The tree is decorated with colorful ornaments as well as lights (like chains of lights). Holiday lights are beautiful and bring joy. To ensure a safe and happy holiday, abide by the following rules:

• Position the lights away from the ornaments in order to prevent them from heating and catching fire.
• Check the functionality of the cables of the holiday lights before using them to prevent electric shocks.
• It is preferable to decorate the tree with chains of battery-operated lights rather than electric lights.
• Avoid leaving the lights turned on and unattended: make sure to turn off the lights before going to sleep and when you leave the house.
• Small children are curious and love putting things in their mouth. Keep children under 5 away from small ornaments that can enter a surprise egg, as they may pose a choking hazard.
• Install smoke detectors to warn of fires and enable rapid escape in the event of fire.

Fireworks and firecrackers

The holiday period is full of joy, and some use fireworks and firecrackers to mark the holiday. Avoid using these objects as they may cause serious injury and damage, such as finger amputations, eye injuries and hand burns as well as explosions in pockets. These are only some of the common injuries that may be caused by the use of firecrackers, cap guns and other dangerous games.