Tip of the month: Christmas Safety (Including tree safety and Food Safety)

Every year there are more than 500,000 cases of food poisoning, even over Christmas.

 

Here’s our top Christmas safety tips to help prevent your festivities being cut short:

 

 

• Give yourself enough time to prepare and cook Christmas dinner to avoid hot fat and gas stove accidents that come from rushing and keep anyone not helping with dinner out of the kitchen. Wipe up any spills quickly. We offer a basic Food Safety Awareness course which is aimed at anyone who requires induction training before starting to work with food, staff who are low-risk food handlers, and those who wish to update their food safety knowledge. We also offer 4 E-Learning food courses
• Don’t leave burning candles unattended, make sure you put them out before going to bed and do not put candles on Christmas trees
• If you have old Christmas lights, seriously consider buying new ones, which will meet much higher safety standards. Keep the lights switched off until the Christmas tree is decorated, don’t let children play with lights, and remember to switch off the lights when going out of the house or going to bed
• Have scissors handy to open packaging, so you’re not tempted to use a knife, and have screwdrivers at the ready to assemble toys
• Beware of trailing cables and wires in the rush to connect new gadgets and appliances, and always read instructions
• Falls are the most common accidents so try to keep clutter to a minimum. Make sure stairs are well-lit and free from obstacles, especially if you have guests
• Plan New Year fireworks well in advance and follow the Firework Safety Code
• Test your smoke alarm(s) before putting your tree/lights up. Have you seen how quickly a dry tree can catch fire? Please make sure you are extra careful as you take off all your decorations and lights – it is scary what can happen in 60 seconds!