Operation Decoration: Safety Tips for Decorating This Holiday Season

Holiday decorations can give your home just the right festive touch, but don’t forget to deck your halls safely this season.

Each year, hospital emergency rooms treat about 12,500 people for injuries related to holiday lights, decorations and Christmas trees, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In fact, Christmas trees are involved in about 300 fires annually, resulting in 10 deaths, 30 injuries and an average of more than $10 million in property damage.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), the not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization, in cooperation with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), is once again this year reminding holiday revelers to follow a few safety tips when decorating for the holiday season:

- If purchasing live, cut trees or greens, carefully inspect the needles. If they’re brown or break easily, the greenery isn’t fresh and poses a greater fire risk. When you take your tree home, put it in a sturdy, non-tip stand and keep it filled with water at all times.

- If your family prefers decorating with artificial trees or greens, purchase those that are flame retardant. The product packaging will indicate whether the branches of your artificial tree or greens have been treated with flame retardant material. Do not use light strings and other electrical decorations on artificial trees or greens that have metallic needles, leaves or branch coverings.

- Place your tree or greens at least three feet away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources. Also make sure the tree isn’t blocking a doorway or other exit route.

- Look for the UL Mark on light strings and electrical decorations. The UL Mark on a product means that UL engineers have tested representative samples of the product for foreseeable safety hazards such as fire and electric shock.

- Electrical light strings and other illuminated ornaments that have been tested by UL bear holographic UL labels - easily identified by the UL Mark that appears to "float" on a silver background. Lights intended for indoor-only use bear green UL Marks. Light strings intended for indoor and outdoor use bear red UL Marks.

- Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the electrical decorations you’re using.

- Carefully inspect each electrical decoration - new or old — before plugging it in. Cracked sockets, frayed, loose or bare wires, and loose connections can cause a serious electric shock or start a fire. Replace damaged items with new, UL-Listed decorations.

- Always unplug light strings or electrical decorations before replacing light bulbs or fuses. Check the instructions to determine what maintenance the manufacturer recommends you perform. In most cases, maintenance is limited to replacing a fuse and lamp. Don’t attempt to make a repair unless the instructions indicate the proper procedure and equipment for doing so. Decorations may overheat or safety mechanisms may not operate properly if you use replacement parts other than those specified by the manufacturer.

- Don’t use staples or nails to hang light strings. They might damage the cord’s wire insulation.

- Check the markings on your light strings to determine the maximum number of strings that may be connected together. If the product packaging does not indicate the number of light strings that may be connected together, practice this rule of thumb: Do not connect more than three midget (push-in bulbs) light string sets

together. Light strings with the screw-in bulbs (C7s and C9s) should have a maximum of 50 bulbs connected together.

- Don’t overload extension cords — it could cause the cord to overheat and start a fire.

- Don’t allow children or pets to play with any electrical decoration which can produce a deadly electric shock.

- Turn off all electrical light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

- Make sure your home is equipped with working smoke alarms and fire extinguishers that carry the UL Mark. Don’t forget to install, test and maintain these devices in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

- Develop and practice a fire escape plan for your household. Remember, never return to a burning building for any reason. Your belongings can be replaced — you can’t!

These and other product safety tips are also available at UL’s Web site at www.ul.com or NFPA’s at www.nfpa.org.