Don’t be a Christmas fool!
How to be safe this Christmas season by knowing the top twelve most common injuries at Christmas. With the madness of Christmas, doing all the shopping, rushing around getting everything in time. Pulling the decorations and tree from the loft, if your tree is artificial. Decorating the house. Prepping for Auntie Mary and Uncle Bob for their arrival. The tasks and jobs are endless. However, the number of accidents that can happen is very possible.
While Christmas can be at times fun and merry, Christmas does carry some risk of accidents.
Every year it is estimated 80,000 people head to A&E with injuries such as cuts, burns or falls, with around 6,000 people having to be admitted to the hospital.
We have compiled a list of the top twelve most common injuries at Christmas. By spreading awareness of the accidents we can hope this reduces the risk of accidents. Keep a look out for HMB safety tips.
The top twelve most common injuries at Christmas
Safety Tip Number 1: A recent survey of 2,000 adults found that 49% of them admitted to having an accident while making Christmas dinner. With one in five of them cutting themselves while slicing vegetables. Many more people hurt themselves while attempting to tear through wrapping to open their gifts. Cutting fingers with scissors while wrapping up presents, especially being distracted.
HMB Safety tips: Always think before you do! Always use the right equipment for the work at hand. Such as a saw to cut the Christmas tree, scissors to cut open plastic wrap, and screwdrivers to turn fasteners. Try to keep the kitchen tidy and bear in mind that cooking and drinking don’t mix.
Safety Tip Number 2: The NHS has treated more than 15,000 patients for burns and scalds in, many of which were preventable. Christmas is a time when friends and family get together to cook large meals, and the kettle is never turned off. A burn is more likely to occur when hot food is moved around in busy homes, and a cup of tea can still severely scorch a young child up to 30 minutes after it is made.
HMB Safety tips: Keep children out of the kitchen. Use the back hobs if possible, turn saucepan handles inwards, and take extra care when removing trays from the oven. Don’t walk around the house with cups of tea or leave them unattended in reach of children.
Safety Tip Number 3: According to the fire service, there were 95 house fires each day in December, and people are 50 per cent more likely to die in a house fire over Christmas than any other time of the year. Candles and log fires are usually the biggest cause over Christmas. It is easy to overload extension leads due to those extra Christmas lights. The Fire Service have put a fire warning on square plug adapters due to fire risk of over heating.
HMB Safety tips: Smoke alarm batteries should never be removed to power toys. Make sure your smoke alarms are operational. Think of creating an escape route for your family in case of fire. Never overload electrical plugs or extension cables. Keep candles far away from the tree, cards, or potentially combustible materials like drapes. When leaving the house or at night, don’t forget to switch off the Christmas lights.
Safety Tip Number 4: Christmas light spend most of the year packed away in lofts and cupboards. During the 11 months of the year that they are locked away, they may have become electrically unsafe. it is known that 50 per cent of domestic fires are a result of electrical faults. The added burden of festive lighting only increases this fire risk.
After Which? discovered that half of the tested Christmas lights caught fire or posed a shock risk, consumers have been advised against purchasing them from online markets like eBay.
HMB Safety tips: If your Christmas lights display any indications of wear and tear, particularly on the cords and plugs, replace them. Look for the BS Kitemark when purchasing your lights from a trustworthy retailer. When the lights are on, never install a bulb always swtich off beforehand.
Safety Tip Number 5: Children have very inquisitive nature and are notorious for putting things in their mouths. With so many more novelty items around at Christmas the risk of choking increases. Fairy light bulbs, small baubles and toy parts can easily be swallowed. With the distractions of Christmas present un-wrapping it is very easy for small parts lying around within the house. Choking can easily happen as our airway is a perfect size to have food stuck. Foods like grapes, sweets, beef, chicken or objects like marbles, small parts, bottle lids, corks are some things we can choke on.
HMB Safety tips: Verify the age-appropriateness of all the toys. Beware of quirky buttons and decorations on christmas attire. After holiday feasts, keep an eye out for stray nuts, cherry tomatoes, and grapes on the ground and hang little ornaments from higher, out-of-reach branches.
Read more on our Choking Blog
Safety Tip Number 6: Batteries are everywhere at Christmas. A top tip is have a Christmas Box of help – with a selection of screwdrivers and spare batteries. Toys, remote controllers, musical greeting cards, and a number of home appliances all include button or coin batteries, which are particularly harmful to kids if eaten. Because the electrical current from a button battery, when mixed with saliva, produces caustic soda that burns through the oesophagus or stomach and may be lethal. Button batteries can cause significant harm to the digestive system. If a child has swallowed a battery DO NOT make them sick, take to the hospital immediately and within the hour of swallowing.
HMB Safety tips: Make sure that powered toys and small electronic devices have lockable battery compartments. Be extra vigilant with musical greetings cards, flameless candles and remote controls as these do not always have lockable compartments. Always lock away spare button batteries in a high cupboard with a locked box.
Safety Tip Number 7: Seasonal eye injuries are frequently brought on by champagne corks. A 750ml bottle of carbon dioxide has a pressure of 6.2 bar, roughly three times that of a car tyre, which can propel a cork 1.3 metres into the air. A retina or an eyeball may be torn apart as a result. Other typical causes of eye injuries include balloons that have burst and branches from Christmas trees. RoSPA has previously warned against presenting laser pens as gifts since they can result in blindness if they are shone directly into someone’s eyes. Would you believe Christmas decorations can cause a risk to our eyes. Many have sharp points and wires, while those that are glass or plastic could be dangerous if they become damaged. If you plan on using spray snow or anything similar, be careful to point the nozzle well away from everyone’s eyes and make sure that you don’t use it anywhere where an infant could touch it and potentially rub it into their eyes.
HMB Safety tips: Champagne should always be kept cool because a heated bottle’s cork has a higher chance of abruptly popping than a cold one. Place a napkin over the top of the bottle to provide additional protection as you slowly ease out the cork while keeping the bottle pointed 45 degrees away from you and other persons. Avoid over-inflating balloons and trimming down any projecting Christmas tree limbs.
Safety Tip Number 8: The British Chiropractic Association cautions that excessive sleep during the holidays can wreck havoc on the spine. Lifting large packages, moving furniture, and wrestling with Christmas trees can all cause back problems, as can having poor posture and slouching in seats in front of the television.
HMB Safety Tips: Keep an eye on your posture, sit up straight with your feet on the floor as you watch TV. Put some thought into how you will lift something before you actually do so, bending at the knees and not at the waist. Remember to stay active and consider taking a festive stroll to get the steps in.
Safety Tip Number 9: 1 in 50 people have fallen from the loft when getting decorations down. In recent years, as many as 2.6million people have fallen off a stool or ladder while hanging up Christmas decorations. it is easy to put a box on top of a chair to then reach into the loft. Always think safety first. We have heard a story where someone fell out of the loft due to drinking too much alcohol and occurred a spinal injury.
HMB Safety tips: Make sure ladders are stable and avoid over-reaching for items. While reaching in the loft have someone below to pass things down to. Having three-points on the ladder at all time reduces the risk of falling off a ladder. Don’t leave electrical cables trailing across the floor, and ensure that children are wearing helmets before they take their new bikes for a spin.
Safety Tip Number 10: Slips and trips are a major cause of injuries, as they are at other times of the year. Slips and trips is the main cause of any injury at home or in the workplace. Accidents can occur as a result of crowded homes, presents on the floor, abandoned wrapping paper, and impaired judgement brought on by alcohol. Young children and elderly family members are especially prone to falling. Also, the ground can be painful, after a frost or snow.
HMB Safety tips: Tidy up regularly, especially after unwrapping gifts, don’t leave things on the stairs to be taken up later. Ensure you wipe up kitchen spills immediately. Keep walkways clear, you can quickly reduce the potential for injury.
Safety Tip Number 11: Did you know 1 million cases of food poisoning are thought to occur annually, and this number doesn’t decrease throughout the holiday season. At Christmas, food poisoning is a constant concern. So much so that the NHS has recommendations for safely preparing a turkey.
HMB Safety tips: When cooking a turkey, be sure to read the directions thoroughly and never risk cutting corners because a turkey needs hours to cook properly. Salmonella contamination from undercooked turkey can be fatal, especially for the extremely young, elderly. Invest in a cooking thermometer do know exactly the food temperature.
Safety Tip Number 12: Toys can be a hazard, with small parts, breaking easily or over heating and causing a fire. Always buy your kids toys that are appropriate for their age. Verify that there are no little objects that pose a choking risk. Make sure you have the appropriate screwdrivers and scissors when opening gifts. On Christmas Day, many accidents happen as people struggle to swiftly open challenging packages while utilising improvised equipment.
HMB Safety tips: You need to be wary that toys you purchase from market stalls or pop-up stores might not adhere to strict safety regulations or be illegally imported. All toys being sold in the European Union must bear the CE mark, indicating that they comply with EU harmonised standards for health and safety.
We do hope you have took something away from the top twelve most common injuries at Christmas. Accidents do happen so easily, but understanding the risks and hazards will prevent an injury from happening.
How to treat minor injuries in the home?
Here are some simple ways from the NHS on how to treat minor injuries such as choking, cuts, burns and electric shock. If someone is in immediate danger you will need to call 999. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/first-aid/
Go to our Latest News & Blogs to read more on how to treat injuries or more of our safety tips.
Making sure we go to the proper place for the correct care if we do experience a health concern over the holiday season is one of the most crucial things we can all think about. We ask that you help us and yourself this season by accessing the right resources, consulting your pharmacy, dialling 111, or going to the Minor Injury Unit (MIU). The MIU can treat you if you have a minor injury, and their wait periods are typically much less.
You can call 111 for guidance on where to find the best care and assistance if you’re sick but it’s not a 999 emergency. Because of the nature of their illness or injury, patients may occasionally be directed directly to the Emergency Department, saving them time and ensuring that they receive the best care available as soon as feasible. Sometimes the answer can be found on the high street; patients are frequently told to visit their neighbourhood dentist, optician, or pharmacy.
If you have any questions with this blog we are happy to help. It is important to know what to do in case of an emergency or a minor injury. If you want to know how, our Emergency First Aid at Work Course, is the course for you. Here is the link to our upcoming courses. https://www.hmbtrainingservices.co.uk/courses
Our courses provide you the peace of mind that you’ll know what to do in the event of an emergency, such as choking. Furthermore, getting first aid training will give you the skill set of knowing exactly what to do if your child, friend, or work colleague chokes. Never put yourself in a situation where you’re thinking, “What if I knew what to do?” Get First Aid Trained Today!
We offer open courses at our Brownhills training room or we can come to your training room at your workplace. We travel to the top side of London and as far as Liverpool or Manchester.
We hope you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas.
For further enquires please call us on: 01543 453338 or email on info@hmbtrainingservices.co.uk
