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Everyone looks forward to the holidays, since they involve celebrating the spiritual significance of the occasions as well as cherishing time with family and friends. However, activities associated with this time of year present various risks to health and property. Here are some safety tips to help prevent unpleasant things from putting a damper on your festivities.
1. Manage Stress The hustle and bustle of holiday pursuits, such as decorating, shopping and partying, can take a toll. Pace yourself and take breaks when you feel anxiety mounting. Get enough sleep at night, so you’ll have the energy you need for this busy time. Consider this research as a cautionary tale:
“In laboratory settings, researchers can zero in on particular stressors and their effects on health measures, such as how well the immune system responds to injury. In 2005, Kiecolt-Glaser and her microbiologist husband Ronald Glaser enlisted 42 healthy couples to test how interpersonal stress might affect wound healing. On two separate occasions, the couples came to a clinic in the morning, ate breakfast, gave a blood sample and endured some mild discomfort as a nurse used a medical device to raise a small suction blister wound on one arm. Next the couples underwent either positive social support counseling about their marriage or, at a separate visit, were led into a discussion of their marital disagreements.
The scientists checked the wounds in the following days. Couples healed in a median of five days after friendly counseling but took six days after a session about marital conflicts. When the conflict sessions were split into couples who got confrontational versus those who were more easygoing, the hostile couples took a median of two days longer to heal, the researchers reported in JAMA Psychiatry.”
2. Prevent Fires Sadly, every year fires destroy people’s homes because of holiday-related hazards. Place candles away from curtains and trees, and if you have pets or children, you may want to avoid them altogether. Keep real Christmas trees watered, check strings of lights for frayed wires and never leave a fireplace unattended. Install a carbon monoxide and smoke detector in your home. Don’t leave cooking pots and pans unattended, especially over an open flame.
3. Avoid Injuries When Decorating Instead of standing on furniture to put up decorations, use a step stool or ladder. The National Safety Council recommends using a ladder model with slip-resistant feet and wearing slip-resistant shoes when climbing on one.
4. Ensure Food Safety Thaw food in the refrigerator, and use a thermometer to ensure you cook meat to the proper temperature. Don’t leave perishable items unrefrigerated for more than two hours.
5. Never Drink and Drive Even one alcoholic beverage can impair driving ability. To be sure you get home safely after a night out on the town, have a designated driver along who will abstain from liquor.
6. Prevent the Spread of Germs No one wants to spend the holidays nursing a cold, so take measures to minimize the spread of germs. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough. Wash your hands with soap and running water.
7. Prepare Your Vehicle for Emergencies Amid the season of ice and snow, you never know when the elements could leave you stranded. Keep a winter emergency kit in your vehicle that includes water and nonperishable food as well as first aid supplies, blankets and a battery-powered radio.
You might also want to brush up onTips to Protect Yourself Against Extreme Cold.
Our Washington D.C. personal injury attorneys can suggest a smart, tested strategy for how to seek compensation after an accident. Call or email us for a consultation.
