Safety Sense > Holiday Lights

Lights and decorations are an important part of any holiday season. Be sure your decorations are as safe as they are beautiful.

• Only use outdoor lights and cords in your yard or outside your home. Make sure they are properly sized for the intended use.
  
• When buying new lights or extension cords, be sure they carry the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or similar safety label.
  
• When decorating outdoors, keep ladders and decorations away from overhead power lines.
  
• Inspect your cords and lights. Replace any you find that have cracked or loose sockets, exposed wires and frayed, broken or scorched insulation. Even a tiny crack in a cord is a potential fire hazard.
  
• Keep paper and tinsel away from hot lights.
  
• Make sure your artificial tree is certified fire-resistant.
  
• Keep your natural tree well-watered; and keep cords and lights away from the tree's water dish.
  
• Unplug cords when you string lights. Unplug lights before you leave the house or go to bed.
  
• Stop using any cord that gets hot to the touch during use.
  
• Place electrical fixtures out of the reach of children and pets.