The holiday season is here, and that means hanging lights, cooking for friends, and gathering together. But nothing takes the merry out of your holiday than a trip to the emergency room. While holiday prep and parties are a blast, they can be hazardous if you aren’t careful.
“It’s the most dangerous time of the year,” Patrick Allan writes in Lifehacker. “With kids cutting fingers, dads falling off ladders, and you slipping onto your rear. It’s that hap-haphazardly season of all.”
Cheery, right? Well, with the right knowledge and some preparedness, you can keep your celebrations as safe as possible.
Common Holiday Injuries
While every family has their own holiday accident stories, you probably want to keep yours to a minimum. Prevention starts with knowledge, and the following are some of the most common incidents that happen this time of year.
- Falls: From slick driveways to high ladders, there are plenty of opportunities to take a tumble. While 25,000 Americans sprain their ankles every day, holiday parties and prep set the scene for these types of injuries. Grandma could trip over a new toy or you could step sideways in the snow.
- Decorating Mishaps: Holiday decorating causes many injuries, some serious. From climbing on ladders to handling electrical objects, homeowners often put themselves in harm’s way if not careful.
- Cooking Accidents: Lacerations and burns from cooking are also quite common. This is especially true when there are too many cooks in the kitchen.
- Fires: We’ve all heard horror stories about Christmas trees bursting into flames or candles burning too long. These tragic accidents can cause serious injuries and property loss.
Injury Prevention Tips
Now that you know the most common types of accidents, take these steps to keep you and your family safe.
- Decorate In Pairs: By decorating with another person, you have someone to watch the ladder or warn you of any hazards. And if an accident does happen, there is someone there to take action.
- Lift Carefully: About 80% of the U.S. population experiences back pain in their lifetime, and much of this pain comes from lifting incorrectly. To avoid strain, lift boxes of decorations and heavy gifts using your leg muscles.
- Watch Your Kids: Even though you are busy cooking and hosting during holiday gatherings, keep an eye on your little ones. They can easily burn themselves in the kitchen or playing with decorations.
- Locate The Closest Hospital: Traveling can add an extra layer of stress to the possibility of a holiday accident. Fortunately, there are 5,564 registered hospitals in the United States. While you might not be able to see your doctor, locate the closest hospital to your holiday destination.
- Mind Fire Hazards: Keep fire hazards on your radar at all time. Turn off your tree lights at night and when you are not home. Remember to blow out candles and unplug other electric decorations. This will keep your holiday decorations from causing major problems.
While family and friends are the main focus of your holiday, don’t forget to scan the room for safety checks. This will help you address any hazards that you see and prevent incidents. And without accidents, you can keep your holiday as merry and bright as possible.
This is such a great list to help prevent some of those common holiday injuries, Lord knows I’ve burnt or cut myself half a dozen times in the kitchen.
So many simple things out there to cause accidents. I was out yesterday after some rain in shoes that were probably too high (but they matched the really cute dress so why not) and almost slipped from stepping in the wet track marks of someone else’s shoes. Simple little things…
It’s true that while we are so busy getting ready for the holiday, we forget that we need to be extra careful. These are some excellent reminders.
I never realized it but now that you’re mentioned the injuries, you’re quite right! It’s really common this season! I think it’s really important that you have someone with you when you’re decorating or cooking, not just to help but to also be there when accidents happen.
Yes! This is something I don’t think a lot of us even think about right now. With all the fuss going on about the holidays its so importatn to keep this in mind too!
These are all very important injuries to avoid! We get a live tree every year, so keeping it watered is THE thing we make sure we do every morning!
It is so important to keep yourself and you family safe, especially around Christmas time. After the snow we have had recently in the UK which is now turning very icy, I’m so paranoid I’m going to fall over. It’s a hazardous time of year!
We’re supposed to have fun on Holidays that’s why we should take care of ourselves. Thanks for sharing these!
I had no idea that decorating mishaps were so common. I’ll make sure I’m careful when I am trimming the tree this year.