Holiday Safety Tips

Along with the holiday spirit from the festive decorations to family gatherings, comes an uninvited guest – holiday home hazards.  To keep your loved ones safe throughout the holiday season: from the porch to the kitchen, here are some essential safety tips.

  • Before purchasing or setting up old Christmas lights, check for the latest recalls on the Healthy Canadians Recalls and Safety Alerts Database.

  • Don’t overload circuits by plugging too many lights into a single outlet.

  • Make sure all your decorations are non-combustible and flame resistant or flame retardant.

  • If you do use real candles, keep them in sturdy holders and away from other decorations, your tree, children, and pets. Blow candles out before bed, and before leaving the room.

  • If you like a real Christmas treee – purchase a tree with a high moisture content – if its needles are brown, or if they fall off easily, the tree is probably too dry and can become a fire hazard.  (Don’t forget to water it daily)

  • If you’re purchasing an artificial tree, be sure it is CSA labelled, and fire-retardant.

  • Never leave your cooking unattended – turn off the heat before leaving the kitchen.

  • Offer guests the option to stay over, or have a designated driver to take people home at the end of the night, to ensure no one is driving after they have been drinking.

  • Hang your stockings with extra care – not while the fireplace is on!

  • Avoid throwing wrapping paper, cartons, boxes, or other packaging into the fireplace, as these burn very rapidly and could result in a flash fire.

With care and caution, you can keep your family and home safe this festive season and avoid these common holiday hazards. However, we understand that accidents can happen with even the most careful homeowners – whether it concerns your home or vehicle, if you have a claim with Clare Mutual Insurance you can rest assured you will receive all the support you need to get life back to normal quickly and easily.

Happy Holidays!

The recommendation(s), advice and contents of this material are provided for informational purposes only and do not purport to address every possible legal obligation, hazard, code violation, loss potential or exception to good practice. Clare Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“Clare Mutual”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations or advice contained herein will make any premises, property or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. Under no circumstances should this material or your acceptance of any recommendations or advice contained herein be construed as establishing the existence or availability of any insurance coverage with Clare Mutual. By providing this information to you, Clare Mutual does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.