The Christmas holidays are coming and, with them, the decorations that characterize the period - colored lamps, fairy light, lighting ribbons, Christmas trees. Thinking about people's well-being and ways to prevent accidents, Neoenergia organized guidelines involving the conscious use of decorative elements, so that the holiday celebration is only full of good moments.  

The most common ornament during this Christmas period is fairy lights. The first recommendation refers to the time of purchase. The package must contain information on power, voltage and instructions for use. This will ensure higher product reliability. In addition, the option for LED lamps is safer and more efficient, as they heat less and use less energy than conventional ones. It is also common for people to reuse the fairy light from one year to the next. “In this case, it is essential to check the conservation status of the wire, checking its entire length to identify if there is any damaged point. If you find any damage, the ideal is to discard it to avoid shocks and short circuits", informs the Health and Safety manager of Neoenergia, Harley Albuquerque.  

ASSEMBLY OF THE DECORATION 

People who will install the lighting shall be dry and wearing shoes. In addition, it is important to make sure that the fairy light is unplugged during handling. It should only be plugged after assembly is completed. If the person wants to change something in the decoration, such as the fairy light position, they must first unplug it, make the change, and only then plug it again.  

Attention is also required with the lights on the Christmas tree. The guideline is to avoid the use of ornaments made of paper, cardboard, cotton, wool and dry straw, as, in the event of a short circuit, they can conduct the fire more easily. For the same reason, the tree shall not be placed near sofas, curtains, rugs or wooden furniture. Prefer those who have the warning of 'fire resistant', to reduce the chances of accidents. In addition, it is important to know how to choose the tree. Most of them are made of materials like plastic and metal - important energy conductors. If there is a fault in the fairy light, it can energize the entire decoration.  

You shall be very careful when installing lights outdoors, as the ornament suffers from the action of weather, drying out the wiring, in addition to the possibility of rain, which increases the effects of electricity conduction. This is even more dangerous if the lights are of poor quality, which considerably increases the chances of a shock or short circuit with more serious consequences.  

ESSENTIAL PRECAUTIONS

The lighting shall be turned off whenever the person goes to sleep or leaves the house, as most accidents happen when no one is around. Also, avoid the use of T-adapter to connect multiple items to the same outlet. This can overload the outlet used and lead to serious accidents. If you have children or pets at home, you need to double the attention, keeping the ornaments and equipment connected to electricity out of their reach.  

“Christmas ornaments, because they are easy to install and use, are not handled with due care, but all safety recommendations must be followed. Information, attention and the correct use of materials are the main allies in preventing accidents", reinforces the health and safety manager.  

In the event of an accident, the first step is to turn off the house circuit breaker. Then, check the victim's condition. If necessary, activate the emergency care service, especially in situations involving children and the elderly. If necessary, the service of Neoenergia's concessionaires can be activated by the number 116.