Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year but installing Christmas lights can be a tedious and dangerous task if done incorrectly. Each Christmas season there are over 15,000 related accidents that result in injuries due to holiday decorating and far more accounts of hair pulling, stressful people who are untangling lights, ruing back and forth to the store for clips, cords, and accessories.
Christmas Wonder Lights, our sister company, wants to ensure as a professional Christmas light installation company that we help do-it-yourselfers in Katy, Houston, and the surrounding area. They will take the proper safety precautions while decorating your home and working with electrical equipment, starting with sharing our tips on ladder safety. Every season ER sees thousands of people injured and hundreds killed while using a ladder.
The first step is to check your local weather report, as standing on a ladder during high winds can cause you to lose your balance, in addition, rain and light drizzles can cause your ladder to become slippery, so when you are installing your Christmas lights make sure to pick a dry day with little to no wind. Ext you want to properly inspect your ladder, many ladders do not get much use. Take your ladder out of the garage ad give it a once over to make sure it is in good shape ad that you have the appropriate size ladder for the job. Different jobs require your ladder to be at different heights. If your ladder is only tall enough to clean gutters or windows and you are having to stand on the top steps you will want to invest in a taller ladder. Standing on the top step is not recommended for Fort Bend homeowners. Your ladder can become too unstable, and one wrong move can send you to the ER. The ladder should extend three feet above the roof elevation without having to stretch. Overstretching on a ladder can cause the ladder to kick out from under you ad leave you hanging on the gutters. We also recommend ladder stabilizers, a ladder stabilizer; you want to make sure when installing your Christmas lights that the ladder is firmly at the top to prevent it from slipping sideways or the foot from slipping outwards; you can do this by bracing or tying off the ladder near the base if there is no structure to tie off too, use a stake in the ground. Also, take extra precautions near doorways that can open towards the ladder, let your family know not to use the door when you are stringing the holiday lights, and always make calculated moves when working on a ladder to hang your Christmas lights. Before making your next move, THINK! You want to move slowly, as sudden jerks can cause you to lose your balance.
It’s also essential to have an obstruction-free to THINK how you will operate while working from your ladder. Don’t risk a fall by being careless!
· Choose a location that is not close to any power lines. Coming into contact with live power lines can be deadly!
· Place your ladder in an obstruction free zone and keep your ladder on level ground when hanging lights. Also, avoid slippery surfaces like wet grass.
· Always face toward the direction of the ladder, never try to walk yourself up backward.
· Make sure the rungs are dry and wear slip-resistant shoes when working on ladders and rooftops.
· On an extension ladder, stand on the 4th step; this is the safest level.
· Move the ladder when necessary but don’t overreach. If your belt buckle crosses to either side of the ladder your reaching too far.
· Keep the distance between the foot of the extension ladder and the wall to no more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the height of the wall that you are scaling.
Next week we will cover more on safely installing your holiday décor and Christmas lights in the Katy and Fort Bend area if you would like to avoid all the hassle, call your professional Christmas light installers for a free quote contact Katy Christmas Light company at (281)545-7740.