It's the Christmas decoration season... brightly lit homes, trees, yard…all make this season magical. What could possible go wrong?
A 59-year-old man died this past Sunday after he fell from the roof of his house while putting up Christmas lights. He was found unconscious in the driveway of his home when police officers arrived. The man was putting up the holiday lights by himself, and had used a ladder to climb to the roof of his two-story residence and fell. He died at the hospital several hours later of severe head trauma.
Usually when we see newspaper article like this, they usually talk about a "freak accident" or a "rare occurrence." But how rare is it? In the U.S., more than 14,000 people are treated in the nation's emergency rooms each year due to falls, cuts, electrical shocks and burns from faulty holiday decorations or accidents that occur while putting decorations up.
The holiday season is a hectic time for all of us, filled with activities and errands, and many people pay less attention to safety and end up in the emergency room. The nation's emergency physicians are urging people to take a little extra time this year and care as they go about enjoying the holidays.
Safety is not just a work thing . . . it's a living thing!! During the holiday season with all the stress, tight schedules, crowds, extra work etc., take extra caution and STOP . . . take 4 seconds for safety and think about the activity you‘re doing. Think about all the possible risks, even the freak and rare ones . . . whether it's your regular job or hanging up Christmas decorations. We must always be vigilant of safety to ensure we're around for the holiday celebration!