Health and Safety Tips for the New Year

Another year is almost here – and New Year’s resolutions are well-worn and familiar: quit smoking, lose weight, travel, start saving/investing, and the list goes on and on. New year is the time of year that people take inventory and (wish to) make changes in their habits. It’s also the time of the year that people face a greater threat of house fires because of the use of firecrackers, stray bullets and even cooking in their homes. So as we celebrate the new year, wherever we are in the world, as health and safety professionals there are few things we should watch out for

Here are some tips we can use to practice health and safety in our homes:

1. Holiday lights, decorated trees and candles can cause fires. If possible use nonflammable decorations, including artificial trees, and place them away from heat sources.

2. Inspect electric decorations, installations for frayed wires and other hazards. Do not link more than three strands of lights. Do not leave holiday lights on unattended; turn them off before going to bed. Never put lit candles on a tree and/or near the gifts. Do not overload electrical outlets.

3. Never leave the kitchen while cooking or your stove turned “ON” unattended; monitor flammable items. Don’t wear loose-sleeved clothes at a stove; turn pot handles away from the flame.

4. Don’t be tempted to buy cheap electrical appliances – most likely they were not tested for standard quality and safety. Plug electrical appliances into UL-rated surge protectors and turn them off at night if they do not need to operate all night long.

5. If you have smoke alarms in your home, make sure it’s working by changing the batteries. Conduct monthly smoke alarm tests and change alarm batteries twice a year. Ten-year batteries for alarms are also a good idea.

6. Store a properly maintained fire extinguisher in the kitchen or where is a big probability of starting fire. Extinguishers should only be used for very small fires. When a fire occurs, it’s usually best to immediately leave the house and ensure that all family members are accounted for. You may call the fire department from a neighbor’s home or through your mobile.

7. It’s also good if you can practice fire drills, you should have a home escape plan and safe meeting place in cases of emergency. When you move to a new home, make sure you know the emergency contact numbers such as local fire department, police, ambulance or hospital.

8. Never smoke in bed or in a setting where you might fall asleep with a lit cigarette. Make sure ashes and butts are fully extinguished before disposing them off.

Outside the house:

9. Be wary and stay alert for stray bullets and fire crackers – this is especially applicable when such practices are allowed in the locality

10. Never try to pick up and re-ignite any fire crackers you see on the streets even if looks it did not yet explode.

11. Avoid using powder enabled fire crackers – they don’t only create noise and possible injuries, they are also a great source of ground air pollution and the leftovers are toxic and hazardous

12. If you’re near or on the road – watch out for speeding vehicles and errant (drunk) drivers.

13. If you have health (breathing) problems – avoid the thick smoke emitted from the firecrackers, it might aggravate your health condition.

Lastly, some of these health and safety tips are still or will be applicable all throughout the year and not just on new year. So it will not hurt us if we are cautious when it comes to safety in our homes and safety to the people.

Have an injury free new year and may all your new year’s resolutions come true – this time.