While the holidays are exciting, they can also mean many breaks in routine and a number of new hazards in the home. When decking the halls and making merry, make sure that you follow these simple safety tips for a safe holiday season:
1) Check your home for fire hazards. Do a walk-through and note whether there are any lights blown out on your decorations, any frayed electrical cords, or any overheated holiday lights in your home. Unfortunately, the holidays are a very busy time for firefighters. There are many fires at this time of year, and that can mean many Miami burn injury patients. For this reason, this is also a good time of year to check that your smoke detectors are working correctly.
2) If you will be traveling to see family this holiday season, secure your property. Miami pool-related accidents can easily happen while you are away from home this holiday season. Secure your pool area with a self-locking gate, and, if possible, an alarm that can alert you in the event that anyone enters your pool area while you are away. If you will be away, consider using timed lights to discourage break-ins and have a friend or family member pick up your mail and check your home occasionally.
3) Check your decorations for hazards. Look for plastic or non-breakable decorations over fragile glass ones. Any electrical items or battery-operated items should be checked for wear and tear before using – throw out any decorations that are worn enough to be a hazard. If you have children and pets, be especially wary about decorations with small parts (including tinsel) which can be easily swallowed or toxic decorations – some natural holiday decorations, including poinsettias and mistletoe, can be toxic when swallowed.
4) Keep an eye on product recalls. You can sign up online to get product recall information mailed directly to you. This can be especially important to get recalled toys out of your holiday list and recalled foods out of your holiday feast.
5) If you are hosting any events at your home, be aware that you have a responsibility to keep your guests safe. Ensure that your home and walkways are well-lit and free of any obstacles to prevent Miami slip and fall accidents. If you serve alcohol, make certain that your guests can stay over or get a drive safely home in order to avoid Miami drunk driving accidents. Before you have your party, consider walking through your home and ensuring that your home is safe as well as festive.
6) Give yourself the gift of time. Rushing during the holidays leaches joy out of the season and can easily lead to a Miami car accident as well as other types of accidents. Slow down as much as you can so that you can focus on enjoying this time of year fully and safely.
The team at the Flaxman Law Group would like to wish all blog readers a safe and happy holiday. If you do sustain an injury during the holidays, the phone lines at the Flaxman Law Group will continue to be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week so that you can always reach a personal injury attorney to discuss your case.