Christmas safety moment

Christmas is a time when your home might be full of people and it is in the excitement of the season that accidents can happen. But one of the good things about Christmas is that there are typically more people around to supervise young children and, with a little care and forward planning, accidents can be avoided.

At CRS, we’ve done a ‘safety moment’ in our office to identify the best safety tips, and present here the best ones which you may find useful:

* Be a good neighbour – if it snows or ices over, clean the paths around your home
* Look out for small items that could pose a choking hazard to young children, including parts that have fallen off toys or from Christmas trees, button batteries and burst balloons
* Keep decorations and cards away from fires and other heat sources such as light fittings
* If you have old Christmas fairy lights, seriously consider buying new ones, which will meet much higher safety standards.  Keep the lights switched off until the tree is decorated, and don’t let young children play with lights (some have swallowed the bulbs).  Remember to switch off the lights when going out of the house or to bed
* Remember, Christmas novelties are not toys, even if they resemble them, and they do not have to comply with toy safety regulations. Give careful thought to where you display them, for example, place them high up on Christmas trees where they are out of the reach of young hands
* Beware of hot fat, boiling water and sharp knives and keep young children out of the kitchen. Wipe up any spills quickly
* Beware of trailing cables and wires in the rush to connect new gadgets and appliances
* Falls are the most common accidents so try to keep clutter to a minimum. Make sure stairs are well-lit and free from obstacles, especially if you have guests
* Plan New Year fireworks parties well in advance and follow the Firework Safety Code – see http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/the%20fireworks%20safety%20code.pdf  
* Never drink and drive, and plan long journeys so you won’t be driving tired