THE VALUED VOICE

The holiday season has begun, and while decorating is one of the best ways to get into the festive spirit, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates there are more than 5,800 injuries per year from holiday decorating. It is important to remember that safety measures should be taken. According to the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 15,000 injuries from holiday decorating were seen in emergency departments nationwide in 2021 alone. This equates to about 250 injuries per day during the holiday season. Most injuries associated with celebrating the holidays can be prevented. People are urged to put safety into practice while purchasing toys for children, cooking that holiday feast, or decorating your home.
 
The WHA Information Center analyzed holiday injury claims from 2017 to the second quarter of 2022. From those claims, men accounted for 57% of emergency room visits. Visits for electrocution in the emergency room held the highest number of visits when compared to other reasons like trees falling or falling in general. The average age of a person visiting the emergency department for a holiday-related injury was 36 years old. Roughly 90% of emergency department visits were of non-Hispanic or Latino origin.
 
Milwaukee county saw the highest number of visits to an emergency room for holiday-related injuries.

Below are some ways from the CPSC to prevent holiday injuries:
 

• Follow age guidance and other safety information on toy packaging and choose toys that match each child's interests and abilities.
• Keep small balls and toys with small parts away from children younger than age 3 and keep deflated balloons away from children younger than age 8.
• Never leave cooking unattended on the stove or in the oven.
• Only fry a turkey outside and away from your home. Never use turkey fryers in the garage or on the porch.
• Make sure your live Christmas tree has plenty of water and look for the “Fire Resistant” label when buying an artificial tree.
• Place burning candles in sight, away from flammable items, and blow them out before leaving the room.
• Never string together more than three sets of incandescent lights, and never overload electrical outlets.