The holidays are here and that means trees, lights, and other decorations going up in and around employees' homes. Help your workers have a happy—and safe—holiday season.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), hundreds of home fires start every year with Christmas trees, and candles cause thousands of home fires. Many deaths and injuries as well as millions of dollars in property damage are attributable to these two common holiday decorations.

Here are some seasonal safety tips you can use in safety meetings this month to help keep your workers and their families safe at home during the holidays.

Trees

NFPA recommends these safety tips for Christmas trees:

• Select a fresh tree. Look for green needles that don't fall off when you touch or shake the branch. For artificial trees, look for a label that says it is fire retardant.
• Cut an inch or two off the bottom of the trunk of live trees. This will allow the tree to absorb water better and keep it fresher, longer.
• Place trees well away from radiators, fireplaces, wood stoves, and other heat sources.
• Keep trees well watered. This means adding water every day!
• Buy tree lights that have been approved by a testing laboratory like UL. There should be a label that says so—or the box should say so.
• For outdoor trees, use only lights certified for outdoor use. Never use indoor lights outside. Also make sure that extension cords are intended for outdoor use.
• Read manufacturer's instructions about how many strands of lights you can connect safely.
• Turn off Christmas tree lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
• When the holiday is over, it's time to get rid of the tree. Even a well-watered tree will start to die and dry out after a few weeks and become a fire hazard. Put the tree outside for pick up and disposal. Don't leave it in the garage or basement where it could become a fire hazard.

Candles

NFPA recommends these safety tips for candles:

• Don't light holiday candles if you have pets or young children in the house. Lighted candles could easily be knocked over and start a fire. Use flameless candles instead for the festive look and scent.
• Never leave candles burning when you leave a room.
• Keep candles a good foot away from anything that can burn (curtains, papers, books, etc.).

-- Safety Daily Advisor 

What are the signs and symptoms of flu?

Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, but in rare cases can be fatal death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) people who have the flu often feel some or all of these signs and symptoms:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (although not everyone with flue will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (very tired)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults

How does the flu spread?

Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often, a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, eyes or possibly their nose.

How long is a person with flu contagious?

You may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. Some people, especially young children and people with weakened immune systems, might be able to infect others for an even longer time.

How can employees prevent flu?

Aside from getting vaccinated, employees can also take everyday measures to prevent getting flu. CDC recommends the following steps:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.

Is there treatment if you get sick with the flu?

Yes. If you get sick, there are drugs that can treat flu illness. They are called antiviral drugs and they can make your illness milder and help you feel better faster. They also can prevent serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia.

--Safety Daily Advisor

Protecting employees and the workplace from fires is an important job—too important to let anything fall through the cracks.

Robert Solomon is division manager for building and life safety codes for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). He leads a team of engineers who develop and update NFPA codes, conduct fire investigations, and are involved in emergency and nonemergency movement of building occupants.

When it comes to workplace fire safety, Solomon says several things can fall through the cracks.

One is the need to regularly remind employees what they are expected to do. Refresher training should include basics like sounding the actual building fire alarm so that workers know what it sounds like, and identifying the two closest exists.

Another mistake is not training employees to deal with the real-life situations they may have to face in the event of a fire. Solomon uses the example of employees in high rise buildings. He reminds employers to encourage employees on upper levels to occasionally walk down 8 or 10 flights of stairs, recognizing that they may have to walk down 50 or more floors in an actual emergency.

"The time to learn you're going to encounter a difficulty," says Solomon, "is when you have the time to deal with it, not during an emergency.

"The same kind of thinking applies to other fire-related situations, such as smoke, exit routes blocked by flames, encountering hazardous vapors, etc.

Other Mistakes

• Not having a well-developed and frequently reviewed fire safety plan
• Not properly instructing all employees about the plan
• Not conducting fire drills (or not making them a surprise)
• Not training employees to use fire extinguishers if they are expected to use them in the event of a fire
• Not training employees about when to fight a fire and when to evacuate