On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… five tips on electrical safety!
Okay, maybe poems aren’t our strong point. But we do know a few things about staying safe during the festive season. With an average of 102 fires a day in the UK during December, it’s important to arm yourself with the facts and ensure you aren’t taking dangerous risks with your safety this Christmas.
Are you making any of these silly season slip-ups?
Deck The Halls
After twelve months packed away in the loft, Christmas lights can easily become electrically unsafe. Before you plug them in, give them a once-over (along with any other electrical decorations) for faults and loose wires. If they’re looking a bit dodgy, replace them! Always remember to switch them off before you leave the house or go to bed, and make sure any leads are safely tucked away where they can’t be tripped over after a few glasses of festive cheer.
Take care not to overload your sockets and try to avoid the use of extension leads or adaptors - it’s easy for over-excited children (or merry adults) to trip over them!
Cook Up A Festive Feast
Nearly half of us have admitted to leaving cooking unattended - and with a house full of family and friends at Christmas, it's easy to get distracted. Keep an eye on the stove while you’re baking those mince pies and roasting the Christmas turkey, and make sure you have a working smoke alarm in case anything does go wrong. Do your best to keep everything clean, too – a build-up of fat and grease is a major cause of kitchen fires.
And remember; don't cook when you've had a few glasses of festive cheer!
Shop Safely This Silly Season
When the kids are asking Father Christmas for expensive gifts such as drones and hoverboards, it’s tempting to cut costs wherever you can. But you know the old saying: if a bargain looks too good to be true, it probably is!
These days, it can be almost impossible to tell a fake product from a genuine one. Gone are the days of misspelled names and dodgy logos! When you’re out hunting for Christmas presents, it’s crucial that you know how to identify the tell-tale signs of a fake.
So why are counterfeit products so dangerous? It’s the internal components that you need to worry about - they aren’t made to the same standards as genuine items, so they could catch fire or even explode. Definitely not something you want to be unwrapping on Christmas day!
Driving Home For Christmas
You know what they say - Christmas is about who you spend it with, which is why millions of us will be packing up the car and travelling to visit far-away family and friends this December.
If you’ve been given the most important job of all, you’ll certainly be feeling the pressure. No, not wrapping the presents or finding the address. Anyone could do that. We’re talking about preparing the playlist for the journey, of course! Once you’ve compiled the perfect mix of songs, make sure you don’t leave your laptop or phone charging on the bed while you get ready to leave. This could lead to your device overheating and setting fire to the sheets - not the best start to a Christmas roadtrip!
Prepare To Party!
Our social calendars are packed at this time of year - there’s the work do, family Christmas parties and the big night out on New Year’s Eve. We all want to look our best for these special occasions, but if you’re not careful you could end up with your whole Christmas going up in smoke!
Over 650,000 house fires have been started by electrical beauty products like hair straighteners being left on. And 50% of women in the UK have spent their night out worrying that they forgot to switch theirs off - don’t be one of them! Make a conscious effort to turn them off once you’ve finished using them, and store them in a heat-proof pouch.
Now, go and enjoy the party season - you look great!
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