Holiday Safety in the Workplace: Stay safe when celebrating the season

It’s the holiday season—a time for decorations and festivities to celebrate love and good will. While displays of holiday spirit always bring joy, it is important to keep safety in mind when putting up and maintaining these exhibits. Here are some guidelines to follow to ensure everyone can celebrate the season safely.

Holiday Decorations

• Mixing and matching lights can create a fire hazard; keep outside lights outdoors and inside lights indoors.
• Discard any light strings that have cracks, exposed wire, or loose connections.
• Always inspect electrical decorations for broken bulbs, frayed cords and other damages before using them.
• Do not connect more than three sets of lights to an extension cord.
• Make sure that cords are not running through a walkway, as it creates a tripping hazard.
• Do not close doors or windows on extension cords and do not run them under rugs or carpeting.
• Make sure all indoor decorations are unplugged at the end of the day.
• Keep a close eye on any decorations with an open flame, such as candles.
• Make sure decorations do not block doorways, walkways, exit signs, or stairwells.
• All decorations should be made of flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.

Food Safety

Bringing food to share at a holiday event? Be sure to observe these safety precautions:

• Keep perishable food refrigerated and do not leave out for more than two hours.
• Use serving utensils, even for “finger food,” so that multiple people are not touching it.
• Label your food, especially if it contains peanuts or other ingredients that others may be allergic to.

Most importantly, always use common sense when putting up decorations or preparing food items for the holiday season. With these guidelines, you and the people around you can all enjoy a wonderful holiday season. Happy Holidays from the team of experts at Williams Insurance!