JUST IN TIME | Protect yourself, paycheck during holidays

Who wouldn’t prefer to spend the holidays in a festive home setting rather than in the emergency room? But falls, fires and injuries often happen while people are decorating their homes for the season. 

Help reduce your chance for injuries. Just in case something does happen, let’s also make sure your paycheck is protected around the holiday season.

Fire safety

If you have a real tree, choose a fresh one and water it frequently. The National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Fire Administration estimate 240 wintertime fires start with dry Christmas trees each year. 

Check light strands to be sure they’re not frayed. Discard lights that have exposed wires or show signs of wear. And reduce the chance for current overload by connecting no more than three strands of lights together.

Never leave lit candles unattended, especially near children or pets. Extinguish flames before you leave home or go to bed. Better still: Use battery-powered candles.

Place your tree as far from the fireplace as possible, and keep other combustible materials away from the flames. Don’t let garlands or greens hang over the mantel where they might ignite.

Climb carefully

Use a sturdy wooden or fiberglass ladder to hang exterior lights. Aluminum ladders have the potential to conduct the current of a frayed light cord.

Always work with a partner when hanging outdoor lights. He or she can hold the ladder steady, fetch materials or get help if you are injured.

Plan to hang exterior lights over a weekend when you have more daylight hours to work in. 

Inside, stand on a sturdy ladder to put the star on the tree or to reach other high places. Don’t lean off the ladder while decorating; climb down and move it closer.

Put cookie jars and candy dishes out of reach of small children, and deter them from climbing up to get a treat.

Avoid toxins

Avoid using fire salt or other products that add color to flames. Children who ingest these products can experience severe gastrointestinal problems.

If you’re using artificial snow on your tree, allow for proper ventilation to avoid lung irritation, and avoid contact with eyes.

Wear gloves if decorating with spun glass (“angel hair”) to prevent eye and skin irritation.

Avoid decorating with poisonous plants such as holly and its berries, Jerusalem cherries and mistletoe. (Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias aren’t poisonous. However, because eating the leaves can lead to upset stomachs and contact with the leaves can cause skin irritation in some people, it’s best to monitor children and pets near these plants.)

Paycheck protection

In a worst-case scenario, should something actually happen, these are good tips to take before an accident.

Review your company’s disability policy to see how much of your income it will cover if you were to have a non-work-related accident and could not work. Most disability policies only cover for 50 to 70 percent of your income, if any at all. Think about how much of current savings you have now and how much you could live off of should something like this happen. 

Disability policies could be the answer for that gap in your work-disability policy or if you don’t have benefits through work, making sure you can still pay basic bills should you require time off work. 

EMILY WANG HAWKINS is a State Farm agent in Madison Park. To suggest future topics or more information, visit www.myagentemily.com, or call (206) 588-0416. To comment on this column, write to MPTimes@nwlink.com.