Deck The Halls Safely

It’s that time of year again! We climb into attics and storage areas to dust off the holiday decorations and try to out-decorate our neighbors with brighter lights and bigger plastic reindeer. While the holidays are filled with celebration, they are also associated with accidents and injury resulting in visits to the emergency department or trauma center.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that around 15,000 injuries related to holiday decorating are seen in emergency departments from November to December. This works out to roughly 250 injuries per day during the season. Although many are not life threatening, some of the incidents can be serious. According to the CPSC, the most commonly reported holiday decorating incidents seen in emergency departments involved falls (34%), lacerations (11%), and back strains (10%).

Common injuries to try to avoid include:

• Falls from ladders – people will go the extra height for the perfect Christmas decoration.

• Back pain from lifting heavy boxes.

• Lacerations from broken ornaments or glass.

• Tripping hazards such as extension cords, rugs, and even wrapping paper.

The holiday season is a prime time for falls and other mishaps because of the hazards of putting up decorations from elevated positions, carrying heavy loads, change in routine, and other seasonal activities. If you are feeling pain during or after holiday decorating or have an injury or condition that is keeping you from moving properly, we are just a phone call away.

For more information about how we can treat your holiday injury, give us a call.

Our family wishes you and your loved ones a Happy Holiday Season.

Source

Deck the Halls Safely: CPSC estimated more than 15,000 holiday decorating injuries during November and December. Cpsc.gov. [Cited 2021 Nov 05] Available from: https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2014/CPSC-Estimates-More-Than-15000-Holiday-Decorating-Injuries-During-November-and-December