Authored by NLC Strategic Partner UL Standards & Engagement
The holidays are here, and city leaders would prefer their towns to look like the end of a Hallmark movie than end up on the news.
To support safety everywhere, UL Standards & Engagement’s 2024 Holiday Safety Guide brings more than a century of expertise protecting consumers from everyday dangers — dangers that can become more prevalent as we introduce new and different behaviors when we celebrate. From changing the way our houses are decorated to cooking more elaborate meals to shopping for items we don’t regularly purchase, behavioral changes during the holidays can elevate safety risks — risks that are responsible for more fires and trips to the ER than other times of the year.
Simple best practices can ensure the holidays in your community are merry, not scary. Check out the top tips for safer decorating, cooking and gifting from UL Standards & Engagement.
Safe Gifting Tips
- Charge with cables that come with the product and buy replacements or extras from the manufacturer.
- Check that the chargers have been certified by a third-party testing company.
- Know which products contain lithium-ion batteries (almost anything rechargeable) and learn the risks of thermal runaway.
- Keep lithium-ion-powered devices from blocking your exits in the event of a fire.
- Buy micromobility devices that are tested and certified to reduce the risk of battery fire and injury, like e-bikes, scooters and hoverboards
- Inspect gifts that use button or coin cell batteries to ensure the battery compartments cannot be easily opened by a child or pop open by accident.
- Read manufacturer instructions that offer important tips for safe operation.
Safe Decorating Tips
- Water natural trees daily and choose artificial trees that are fire resistant.
- Employ a timer or turn off tree lights before bed, as fires are more likely to occur at night.
- Place trees at a safe distance from heat sources.
- Do not overload outlets and power strips or connect multiple power strips together. Use weatherproof GFCI outlets for outdoor lights.
- Inspect string lights, extension cords and power strips for visible damage, such as frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
- Ensure powered decorations are turned off when away from home or asleep.
Safe Cooking Tips
- Confirm that your smoke alarms and detectors are working properly and meet UL standards.
- Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly and check the batteries every six months.
- Ensure portable generators are properly placed outdoors, at least 20 feet from homes and have a carbon monoxide shutoff that conforms to UL 2201.
- Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking or ask for help attending the stove and other appliances if you must walk away.
- Use timers to remind you when to turn off heat sources or to wake you up if you nod off.
- Keep a fire extinguisher nearby in the kitchen and educate yourself on when to use it and when to get out of the home and call the fire department.
As your citizens get busy decking their halls, making grandma’s stuffing and shopping locally for the perfect gift, you can help ensure a safer season for the benefit of your town’s residents and emergency services! Everything that makes the holidays enjoyable can happen more safely when we are aware of the risks and can take reasonable steps to mitigate them.
Visit the NLC Strategic Partnerships page to learn more about the organizations like UL Standards & Engagement dedicated to making NLC the premier resource for local governments.
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