Cleco is reminding its customers to use caution this holiday season when attempting to decorate homes and businesses with lights and displays.
According to a release, the Electrical Safety Foundation International estimates that around 78 percent of Americans will decorate their homes for the holidays. Nearly 12,500 people are sent to the emergency room each year as a result of injuries sustained while trying to decorate.
Those injuries include falls, cuts, and shocks related to holiday lights, electrical decorations, and Christmas trees.
Cleco provides the following safety tips to keep yourself and your family safe while decorating:
- Always turn off holiday lights when you leave your home or go to sleep.
- Carefully inspect holiday light strings each year and discard any with cracked or frayed cords or sockets, or loose connections.
- Keep yourself, your decorations and equipment at least 10 feet away from power lines.
- Never exceed the maximum number of strings or devices that may be linked together, as indicated on decoration packaging.
- Never staple or nail through electrical wires or extension cords, as this may damage the wiring or insulation and cause electrical shock or fire.
For more tips visit cleco.com or visit the Cleco Facebook page.
