5 Shocking Holiday Electrical Accident Statistics

No one likes to worry about accidents during the holiday season. Sadly, that's precisely when most electrical damage occurs in the home. Half of all home electrical accidents and fires happen during the winter months, according to the ESFI. 

Between increased home heating, electrical decorations and cooking, American homeowners use over 7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity every holiday season.

That level of strain on your home electrical system creates a shocking level of holiday electrical accidents. Here are 5 electrical hazard statistics that surprised us:

• Holiday decorations and Christmas lights cause 860 American home fires every winter (NFPA).
• Each year, 210 fires are started by Christmas trees. These tree fires cause $16.4 million in property damage (ESFI).
• Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in over 40% of home Christmas fires, and ⅓ of Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems (NFPA).
• Over 4,000 people are injured by extension cords every year (ESFI).
• Each day, nearly 7 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for electrical shock or burn injuries caused by tampering with a wall outlet, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The Top 3 Holiday Electrical Safety Hazards (That Aren’t Lights)

It's surprising how many home electrical accidents don't involve holiday lights. Let's start the conversation about home holiday electrical safety with the top 3 non-lighting hazards — electrical decorations, extension cords, and space heaters.

How Electric Holiday Decorations Become Holiday Disasters

Electric decorations start approximately 150 home fires per year, according to the ESFI. These account for 25% of all holiday fires. 

The ESFI recommends 5 steps to avoid electrical accidents involving holiday decorations:

• Turn off all decorations when you leave the house or go to bed. If you don't, make sure they are powered by a smart switch or timer set to turn off at an expected time.
• Inspect and dispose of all damaged holiday decorations after each season, or immediately when noticed.
• Don't leave electrical decor up too long. Take them down after the holidays.
• Store indoor and outdoor decorations separately. This will prevent any unnoticed condensation from outdoor decorations moving to indoor ones. You'll also avoid mingling decorations with different electrical ratings.
• Store decorations in a high, dry location. Keep them out of the reach of pets and small children, and away from any areas that are prone to moisture, leaks or mildew.

How Extension Cords Hurt 4,000 People Each Holiday Season

The CPSC reports over 4,000 injuries associated with electric extension cords are treated in emergency rooms ever year. Half of these injuries involve fractures, lacerations, contusions, or sprains from people tripping over extension cords. The other half are a combination of electric shock and electrocution from a frayed electrical cord.

About 3,300 residential fires start from extension cords each year, according to the ESFI. These fires account for 300 injuries.

Use extension cords in holiday decorating safely with these 6 tips:

• Use the right extension cord for the job. Make sure that the extension cord is rated for the wattage of the lights you are using.
• Don't overload extension cords. Plugging an extension cord into a power strip doesn't mean the cord itself can handle more wattage.
• Place your extension cords carefully. Don't run them under carpets or furniture or tack them down — this can cause frayed wires.
• Check all extension cords for fraying and exposed wires as you unpack them for the holidays.
• Don't use long outdoor extension cords inside. Extension cords should be no more than 100 feet long, especially when used in the home. Shorter cords equal less trips and falls.
• Don't daisy chain extension cords. Don't directly plug one extension cord into another.

Be Careful Around Electrical Heaters and Heat Sources

More than 40% of holiday fires are started when decorations are placed too close to a heat source — especially an electric heater or space heater (NFPA).

Here are 3 simple steps to use electric heaters during the holiday season:

• Stay away from heat sources. Make sure any electrical decoration or holiday lighting is placed at least 3-5 feet away from all heat sources. This includes fireplaces, where embers can jump out and start electrical fires.
• Stay away from hot surfaces. Don't string lights, wiring or extension cords on or near space heaters, radiators or other hot surfaces.
• Don't plug your space heater into a surge protector or power strip! As your electric heater cycles on and off, it requires more power than your strip can provide safely.

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The Right Way to Hang and Maintain Christmas Lights

Yes Virginia, there is a right way to put up those Christmas lights. Nearly 900 home fires are caused by holiday light displays every year — a majority of them are a result of 3 homeowner mistakes:

1. Using the wrong lights in the wrong locations. Many outdoor home fires start due to indoor bulbs being placed in outdoor areas. Don't use incandescent bulbs on your roof or anywhere outside — more on this in a bit.
2. Not checking for damaged lighting. Frayed wiring and damaged or broken bulbs can cause fires, especially near heat sources or dried-out Christmas trees.
3. Stringing together multiple light strands. Whether you use incandescent lights or LED bulbs, don't daisy-chain multiple strings together. 

The following holiday light checklist will help you avoid these 3 electrical hazards throughout the seasonal decorating cycle: as you unpack your lights, while you set them up, and when you store them after the holidays.

Broken Christmas lights? Finally fix those holiday lights for good with our handy guide.

Before You Put Up Holiday Lights

• Inspect all of your lights for damage. Throw away any lights with cracked sockets, frayed cords, or loose bulbs.
• Are all your lights certified? Make sure that all of your lights are certified by a reputable organization, such as UL or ETL. These certifications ensure your lights are tested to meet safety standards. Do not buy lights without certification labels.
• Double-check the load capacity on circuits. Avoid plugging too many lights or appliances into one outlet or extension cord. Use a surge protector 

Putting Up Indoor Lights

• Watch your step! Be careful when using ladders or step stools to hang lights. Make sure that the ladder or step stool is on a level surface and that you have a good grip on it before climbing.
• Obey the “Rule of 3” with incandescent bulbs. Never connect more than 3 strands of incandescent lights together.
• Use plastic light clips to hang your lights. Don't use nails or staples, as these can damage the wire insulation.
• Avoid heat sources. Keep your lights away from heat sources, such as fireplaces and radiators.
• Keep light strands in one room. Don't run your lights through doors or windows.

Putting Up Outdoor Lights

• Check the rating on your lights. If you are putting up lights outdoors, make sure that they are rated for outdoor use.
• Opt for LED lights. LED lights consume a fraction of the electricity of incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are also dangerous for outdoor use, as they offer far less protection against rain, snow and ice.
• Watch those power lines. Keep outdoor lights more than 10 feet away from power lines.
• Use a GFCI outlet for outdoor lights. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) cuts off power to your electrical outlet if it senses a shock or power surge. 

After Your Holiday Lights are Set Up

• Check your lights regularly for damage. If you find any damaged lights, throw them away immediately.
• Invest in automation. Smart switches and timers don't just save energy — they save lives. Set your electric lights to switch off on a schedule, and fall asleep or leave your home without worries.

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How to Avoid Electrocution in 6 Easy Steps

The NFPA reports that 60 home electrocutions happen per year. Most occur in the winter months due to higher electricity usage, and nearly ⅓ of these accidents are attributed to lighting. Thankfully, most of these incidents are avoidable with the proper care and upgraded home electrical equipment.

Here are 6 simple ways to avoid electric shock and electrocution during the holidays:

• Use only certified lights. Make sure all of your holiday lights are certified by a reputable organization, such as UL or ETL. This means that they have been tested to meet safety standards.
• Inspect your lights before using them. Throw away any lights with cracked sockets, frayed cords, or loose bulbs.
• Don't overuse that power strip. A power strip is designed for surge protection, but not if it's overloaded. Don't plug items with more wattage into your power strip than it is rated to handle.
• Turn off your string lights and electrical decorations before you unplug them from the wall. It’s easy for static on your sweater or jacket to attract a shock.
• Switch to GFCI outlets. GFCI protection against electrocution occurs in under .3 milliseconds.
• Consider arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) in your home. An arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) provides greater protection against electrical fire than a standard circuit breaker. AFCI breakers detect an arc-fault caused by cracked or frayed wires, and break your circuit before high temperatures cause a fire. The CPSC estimates that AFCIs could prevent over 50% of all home electrical fires.

GFCI vs AFCI Pro Tip: A GFCI outlet protects you against electric shock and electrocution. AFCI breakers are used to prevent electrical fires.