FACTS
- To meet yearly goals and keep up with the increasing production demands during the holiday season, many people usually work overtime and are also assigned additional responsibilities. They suffer from fatigue that hinders them to perform work-related activities effectively.
- When employees decorate the workplace, they are exposed to several falling and tripping hazards. The most commonly reported incident is slip and fall caused from falling off a ladder. Others include tripping over freestanding decorations, gifts, or trees placed in high traffic areas, which increase the chance of people running into them.
- Decorating homes and businesses with bright, beautiful lights is one of the traditions of the holiday season. Unfortunately, they entail the great of risk fire breakout.
- In the holiday season, people try to finish their shopping as soon as possible, significantly increasing traffic on the roads. The heavy traffic puts the workers, especially those employed in the delivery and transportation industry, at added risk of meeting an accident.
- Slip and fall accidents occur year-round, and are the most prevalent during the winter. Negligent property owners often fail to clear away dangerous ice and snow and maintain clear sidewalks. Poor lighting, unsafe stairways, and wet store floors, can also lead to serious personal injury. Wear shoes with good traction and be mindful of where you step.
- Children suffer serious injuries in toy-related incidents which can be traced back to dangerous defects present in the design of the toys. Defective toys may pose a choking, entrapment, or laceration hazard, as well as other risks of injury.
STATS
- The risk of poisonings also increases during the holiday period, resulting not only from common household items, but also carbon monoxide (CO).
- The average temperature of oil used in a turkey fryer can reach 350 degrees, which can lead to 3rd degree burns.
- 13,000 people are seen each year for accidents related to holiday decorations.
- 5,800 accidents occur when people fall putting up decorations during the holiday season.
- About 2,000 people every winter are treated for lacerations, sprains, and more due to tripping over extension cords
- 50% of Christmas tree fires happen between December 22 through January 5, due to faulty lights, candle decorations, and more.