Electrical Safety For Christmas

Whilst Christmas is a time for celebration, you need to be wary with the amount of electricity used through different devices and ensure that they are maintained and safe to use. Below we’ve highlighted some of the common activities that may put your family in danger and some simple ways to keep on top of them and stay safe.

Preparing to party

In the UK, 650,000 house fires have started because of electrical beauty products such as hair straighteners left switched on. Remember to switch them off and put them away, it only takes a second.

Lighting up your house

It’s that time of the year when Christmas lights are put up, even these can cause a serious electrical risk. One in twelve people admit to leaving their Christmas lights on overnight which potentially results in endangering their household as the lights can overheat and create a fire hazard. Give the lights a break and switch them off when you’re not there to enjoy them.

Charging devices safely

Make sure you aren’t charging your phone or laptop on a soft surface such as a bed. Always charge your device on a hard surface, don’t overcharge it and avoid charging it overnight if you’re using cheap, unbranded chargers. If the chargers are unbranded and cheap, there’s a possibility that they may not have gone through the same vigorous testing the branded ones go through.

Cooking up a festive feast

Nearly half of us admit to leaving the cooking unattended on Christmas day, and with a house full of friends and family it’s easy to get distracted. Ensure that you take precautions when cooking, especially if you’ve had a few glasses of festive cheer!

New year resolutions

If you plan on giving up smoking and replacing it with an e-cigarette, make sure that you use the correct charger as a cheap, unbranded ones could cause some major problems.

Christmas tree fires

The majority of fires around Christmas time are due to Christmas tree fires starting from electrical problems, here are a few things you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you:

• If you decide to use an artificial Christmas tree, choose one that’s fire resistant.
• Make sure that your fire alarm is working.
• Ensure that you water your tree daily to prevent it from drying out. Dryer trees catch fire a lot easier.
• Check the Christmas tree lights for any frayed wires and replace any if found.
• Switch off the Christmas tree lights before going out or going to bed.
• Keep your tree safely away from any heat sources such as fireplaces and radiators.
• If you have any pets or children, do not leave them unsupervised around the tree.

If you follow these steps, you can ensure that your Christmas will be safer than ever!

We hope everyone has a lovely Christmas! Just to let you know, we will be closed from Friday 22nd at 4pm and reopen January 2nd, 2018.