• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SafetyRisk.net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE
    • Slogans
      • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
      • When Slogans Don’t Work
      • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
      • BIGGEST COLLECTION of WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
      • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
      • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
      • Safety Acronyms
      • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
      • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
      • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
      • Safety Slogans List
      • Road Safety Slogans 2023
      • How to write your own safety slogans
      • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
      • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
      • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
      • Safety Slogans for Work
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • Free Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Social Psychology Of Risk
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Dr Long Posts
    • ALL POSTS
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no Hierarchy of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • THEMES
    • Psychosocial Safety
    • Resiliencing
    • Risk Myths
    • Safety Myths
    • Safety Culture Silences
    • Safety Culture
    • Psychological Health and Safety
    • Zero Harm
    • Due Diligence
  • Free Learning
    • Introduction to SPoR – Free
    • FREE RISK and SAFETY EBOOKS
    • FREE ebook – Guidance for the beginning OHS professional
    • Free EBook – Effective Safety Management Systems
    • Free EBook – Lessons I Have Learnt
  • Psychosocial Safety
    • What is Psychosocial Safety
    • Psychological Safety
      • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
      • Managing psychosocial hazards at work
      • Psychological Safety – has it become the next Maslow’s hammer?
      • What is Psychosocial Safety
      • Psychological Safety Slogans and Quotes
      • What is Psychological Safety?
      • Understanding Psychological Terminology
      • Psycho-Social and Socio-Psychological, What’s the Difference?
      • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
      • It’s not weird – it’s a psychological safety initiative!
You are here: Home / Electrical Safety / Christmas Light Safety

Christmas Light Safety

November 25, 2012 by Admin 1 Comment

Christmas Light Safety

Remember “Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase?  I love that movie because all the safety references are hilarious, but my favorite part of the movie is when Clark Griswald finally has all of the Christmas lights on his house, after many safety mishaps, and he plugs in the single extension cord, only to find the lights don’t work.  Clark brainstorms the lighting issue, checks bulbs, and fiddles with the lights for hours.  Finally, his wife hits a switch in the house, and the lights come on in all of their glory, blinding the neighbors and causing a power surge.  Through everything, Clark manages to hurt himself and his hateful neighbors repeatedly, causing some uproarious on-screen laughter.  Unfortunately, in real life, the safety mishaps Clark encounters are not funny, so let’s look at some safety concerns you can address before you light up the house this year.

Check Your Supplies

Every year before stringing lights, you should evaluate your supplies.  Making sure your lights and tools are up to code will help you maintain a safe and joyful holiday season.  The following are some things to check:

  • Assess your lights.  Unravel your strings of lights to check for broken bulbs, frayed wires, and unlit lights.  Replacing bulbs or entire strings before stringing can decrease your chance of electrocution and fires (and increase your chance of a properly lit house).
  • Check out your tools.  Make sure you have the proper tools for your lighting job.  Use insulated holders to attach lights to the house, and always use outdoor lights and extension cords when lighting the exterior of your home.
  • Use proper ladder safety.  Make sure your ladder is long enough, that you have a spotter/helper, and that you always maintain three points of contact on your ladder.

Watch the Weather

It may be common sense to wait out storms before hanging lights, but some injuries still occur because of bad timing.  Your roof and sidewalks should be free and clear of ice patches before you hang lights.  The temperature should be warm enough to avoid injury, and you should wear properly insulated clothing for the weather.  Many people prefer to hang lights before winter weather hits, often before Thanksgiving, so feel free to hang them (just be sure to follow the unwritten rule and don’t turn them on before Black Friday!).

Keep Safety in Mind

Always keep safety in mind when hanging lights.  Don’t try shortcuts – they often lead to injuries.  Some more tips for light safety include:

  • Use a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter), Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) outlet, or circuit with a safety switch to plug in all outdoor lights.  If any snow or water happens to be around the outlet or underfoot when you plug in or unplug the lights, the outlet will trip, removing power (and saving you from injury).
  • Respect power lines.  Decorate far from the power entry point to your home.
  • Follow directions on extension cords.  Never overload extension cords or outlets with too many lights – overloaded cords can get hot enough to start a fire.

Christmas lights are important, festive reminders of the holiday season.  Many people enjoy lighting their homes during the holidays, but remember, the holidays are much nicer with you around, injury-free.  Following safety precautions with your own Christmas lights can ensure you and your family will enjoy a healthy and happy holiday season.

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Electrical Safety Tagged With: chevy chase, christmas light, christmas lights, christmas vacation, clark griswald, electrocution, extension cord, extension cords, fiddles, Holiday safety, Home Safety, issue checks, joyful holiday season, ladder safety, lighting issue, mishaps, power surge, proper tools, safety concerns, safety references

Reader Interactions

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them belowCancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Search and Discover More on this Site

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,512 other subscribers.

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Recent Comments

  • Rob Long on Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
  • Matt Thorne on Myth Making and Why it Matters to Safety
  • Rob Long on What’s Funny About Safety?
  • Rob Long on Perfection is Safety Child’s Play
  • Rosa Carrillo on Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
  • Brent Charlton on Perfection is Safety Child’s Play
  • Anonymous on What’s Funny About Safety?
  • Rob Long on Zero Hour part 6 Knowing Yourself
  • Rob Long on Safety Cops and Safety’s Adoration of Power
  • Rob Long on Book Launch – “Zero, The Great Safety Delusion” – Free Download
  • Rob long on Don’t Be Dumb Like Me, the Typical Safety Keynote
  • Anonymous on Don’t Be Dumb Like Me, the Typical Safety Keynote
  • Joseph D Zinobile on Book Launch – “Zero, The Great Safety Delusion” – Free Download
  • Jason Martell on Safety Cops and Safety’s Adoration of Power
  • Rob Long on Safety Cops and Safety’s Adoration of Power
  • Peter Collins on Safety Cops and Safety’s Adoration of Power
  • Rob Long on Zero Hour Part 4 – Zero and the Unconscious
  • Chiara on Zero Hour Part 4 – Zero and the Unconscious
  • Rob Long on Zero Hour Part 4 – Zero and the Unconscious
  • Yasmin Saunders on Zero Hour Part 4 – Zero and the Unconscious

RECOMMENDED READING

viral post – iso 45003 and what it cannot do

Introduction to SPOR – FREE!!

Psychosocial Safety and Mental Health Series

If You Can’t Manage Fallibility, You’ll Never Tackle Psychosocial Health

Embodiment, Myth and Psychosocial Risk

7 Golden Rules that are NOT Golden

Why Zero Vision Can Never Tackle Mental Health

If Psychosocial Health Matters, Stop Hot Desking

Effective Strategies in Mental Health at Work

CLLR Newsletter July 2023

Playing With Mental Health in Safety is Dangerous

STOP ‘BREAKING’ PEOPLE! The notion of Psychological Safety

Learning to Learn Socially

More Posts from this Category

NEW! Free Download

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Footer

Top Posts & Pages. Sad that most are so dumb but this is what safety luves

  • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
  • BIGGEST COLLECTION of WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
  • Free Safety Moments and Toolbox Talk Examples, Tips and Resources
  • Road Safety Slogans 2023
  • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS, CHECKISTS, REGISTERS, TEMPLATES and APPS
  • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
  • Icebreakers and Games that Safety Trainers Play
  • What Is Safety?
  • Safety Acronyms
  • Injury Data and Statistics Spreadsheet

Recent Posts

  • If You Can’t Manage Fallibility, You’ll Never Tackle Psychosocial Health
  • Embodiment, Myth and Psychosocial Risk
  • Embodied Enactivity in Safety
  • The Meaning of Myth in Risk
  • Myth Making and Why it Matters to Safety
  • Icebreakers and Games that Safety Trainers Play
  • The Power of Safety Myths
  • What Do You Mean By Performance?
  • Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
  • Perfection is Safety Child’s Play
  • Podcast – Dr Rob Long With John Morlan and The Risk Matrix
  • What’s Funny About Safety?
  • Zero Hour part 6 Knowing Yourself
  • Free Videos, Podcasts and Books on Zero
  • Don’t Be Dumb Like Me, the Typical Safety Keynote
  • If You’re Happy in Safety, Clap Your Hands
  • Safety Cops and Safety’s Adoration of Power
  • Zero Hour Part 5 – Surfacing the Unconscious
  • Zero Hour Part 4 – Zero and the Unconscious
  • Auditing the 7 Golden Rules of Zero, A Miserable Fail
  • 7 Golden Rules that are NOT Golden
  • The Non-Golden Rules for Leadership in Zero
  • Seven ‘Golden’ Rules for Zero and Yet No Ethic
  • Why Zero Vision Can Never Tackle Mental Health
  • Is this Your Safety?
  • SPoR Workshops Canberra 18-21 September
  • The Dominance of Zero as the ‘Common Denominator’ of Safety
  • Zero Hour Episode 3
  • Goal Setting and Zero
  • Zero as a Worldview
  • If Psychosocial Health Matters, Stop Hot Desking
  • Book Launch – “Zero, The Great Safety Delusion” – Free Download
  • Breach of Faith and Psycho-Social Risk
  • Zero Harm is Never Zero Harm
  • Why Would You Want to be a Safety “Geek’ or Hero?
  • The Mental Illness of Identifying as Safety
  • Zero Hour – Zero as a place holder
  • Zero Hour – Zero as a Philosophy
  • CARING ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
  • Care is NOT a Factor and Yes, Your Model Matters
  • Care Ethics and the Ethics of Care, in Risk
  • FEAR AND CONTROL – Dialogue in a technological society
  • Of Course, Method Matters in Safety
  • Day 12 SPoR in Europe
  • Free Study Module Following-Leading in Risk August-September
  • Effective Strategies in Mental Health at Work
  • CLLR Newsletter July 2023
  • Playing With Mental Health in Safety is Dangerous
  • The Sacred and Profane, Rituals and Semiotics, A Lesson for Safety
  • Day 11 SPoR in Europe

VIRAL POST!!! HOW TO QUIT THE SAFETY INDUSTRY

FEATURED POSTS

What Can Halloween tell us About Safety?

Second Student Group Social Psychology of Risk

The Sickness of Safetyism

Lemmings for Lemmings in Leadership and Risk

Toilet Roll Safety

‘False Consciousness’ and Perception in Risk and Safety

Dumb Ways to Discourse, a Failed Approach in Safety

iCue Diagnostic, What is Your Risk iCue?

Are You a Safety Fool?

Doing Something Bad Well

How Do We Know?

Social Psychology Applied to the Discernment of Risk

I Have the Power, I’m a Safety Hero

Happy New Year and the ‘Good Life’ Paradox

iCue Listening Engagement Manual

What is SPoR?

Subliminal and Subconscious Influence

Semiotics and Unconscious Communication in Safety

How I Feel About Risk

A Masters Degree in ‘Tick and Flick’

SPoR Quarterly Newsletter September 2021

What’s Your Resilience Profile?

Zero Accident Vision Non-Sense

Zero as Morally Wicked

What Does Misinformation Do in Safety?

What SPoR Network is.

Safety in Design as if Humans Matter

The Bias of Method Design in Risk

The Lexicon of Safety Gibberish

Embodied Enactivity in Safety

Social Sensemaking Available Now PLUS Free Share and Giveaway

How Semiotics Affects The Return To Work Process

Third Group Commences the Graduate Program in The Psychology of Risk

Actions in ‘Bad Faith’

Understanding How People Make Decisions and Judgments

Zero Discourse as Gobbledygook

Just Hangin’ Out…

Developing Our Inner Introversion

Update on SPoR in India, Brazil and Europe

Investigations and Heuristics

More Posts from this Category

VIRAL POST – The Risk Matrix Myth

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,512 other subscribers.

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?

What is Psychological Safety at Work?


WHAT IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SAFETY