[December 2006]
With the festive season upon us, getting employees into the spirit with holiday decorating can be great for teambuilding, but not so great for workplace safety. Accidents from tripping on improperly placed extension cords, electrical shocks from faulty plugs or wiring - or worse, electrical fires - can happen more easily than you might care to think. To protect your people and your business, consider these recommendations from Dial One Wolfedale Electric for electrical safety and energy conservation during the holiday season:
If your business includes an artificial Christmas tree as part of its holiday decorating, ensure the tree is clearly labeled “Fire resistant”. This means that if the tree were to ever catch fire, it would resist burning and extinguish quickly.
If yours is a metallic tree, it should be kept well away from electrical cords or plugs. Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and any person touching a branch could be electrocuted! To avoid this danger, use colored spotlights above or beside a tree, never fastened onto it.
For standard artificial trees, traditional strings of lights are fine, but should always be checked before use to ensure they are in good working condition with no loose or frayed wires or damaged plugs.
This year, why not choose LED lights instead of incandescent lights to decorate inside and outside your facility? LED lights are energy-efficient and use light-emitting diode technology. As a result, they use up to 95% less energy, and generate less heat per bulb, so the chance of them causing a fire is extremely remote. LED lights can last up to 100,000 hours - twenty times longer than the best incandescent bulbs on the market - they are also built inside solid cases that protect them so they are highly durable and will not easily shatter as incandescent lights do. LED bulbs come in a variety of shapes and colours and are a safe and energy efficient alternative to regular incandescent holiday lighting.
Ensure a safe and happy holiday season for your employees and your business by avoiding unnecessary fire risks and accidents with this checklist:
- Do not use inexpensive extension cords unless you know they are CSA approved.
- Never place paper decorations near heat sources.
- Don’t allow employees to stand on chairs and desks when decorating – ensure a proper ladder is used.
- Always tape down or hide extension cords to prevent tripping.
- Inspect strings of holiday lights each year before use - always throw out damaged sets.
- Don’t use more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.
- Securely fasten outdoor lights to walls and trees with insulated staples – never nails.
- Plug all outdoor lights and decorations into circuits that are properly protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).
On behalf of the Dial One Wolfedale Electric team, our best wishes to you and your families for the holiday season and coming New Year!
For more information about Dial One Wolfedale Electric, please contact us at 905-564-8999 or visit our website at www.dialonewolfedale.com |
