Lifetime of Safety - January 2009

Oncor encourages Texans to wrap up the holidays safely

With the holidays over, many Texans are eyeing their holiday decorations, wondering how long that once fresh tree will last and trying to come up with a plan of attack for putting things away.

Oncor’s Lifetime of Safety campaign has three things to remember when tackling trees and holiday décor cleanup:

1. Electric light strands should not be used on holiday trees that have been cut for longer than two weeks or are looking dry (needles are no longer green and/or are falling easily to the ground) to decrease the chance for fire. A dried out tree coupled with a faulty light strand could easily catch fire. While holiday tree fires are rare, the National Fire Protection Association states that one in every 15 reported involve a death.
2. When you finally do decide to take down and put up the holiday decorations, get a head start on next year by performing a safety check. Make sure that there are not any cracks, frays or exposed wire on any electrical cords. If any damage is found, these items should be replaced or thrown away.
   
   All of us are currently concerned with making every dollar count. Keeping around damaged electrical products is not a safe way to do that. Instead, replace damaged holiday lights with energy-efficient LED lights, which last much longer and use less energy.
3. Be careful when taking down holiday lights and decorations from roofs and while using ladders. Always make sure to have a spotter with you and always check for overhead power lines when walking with or standing on ladders. Touching an overhead power line with your body or an object that you are touching or holding can result in an electric shock that could result in injury or even death.

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