Electrical Safety Tips for a Spooky yet Safe Halloween

When you are decorating your home to resemble a scary haunted mansion, follow the electrical safety guidelines.
Photo by: jackmac34

Super-heroes, cute animals, and scary ghosts, you will find everything in your street on 31st of October. The festival along with sweet treats and silly tricks is a favorite of all. But, amongst all the festivities, you must make sure to keep the costumed visitors and your home safe. In the race of making your home a haunted house, undertake measures to avoid electrical mishaps. Remember that spooky is fun; but safety is essential.

Scary yet Safe

When it comes to decorating for Halloween, splurging on electrical decorations is a common thing. If you have are going to install a monster with illuminated eyes or an electric fence around the bushes, use products approved for "outdoor use" only. Also, make sure that you buy standard products approved by a renowned testing laboratory such as Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

Before you install the decorations and plug in the extension cords, check them for damage. Discard frayed wires immediately. Also, you must plug the cords in outlets with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) to protect you and your guests from electrical shocks. If you do not have a GFCIs equipped outlets, it is best to have a licensed electrician at your beck and call to help you with it. You can even ask him to install a few tamper resistant receptacles so that no one can insert fingers or foreign objects in the outlets. It is a pretty inexpensive way of preventing injuries.

Burst into Flames!

Most Halloween decorations and accessories include abundant use of dried flowers, hay bale, corn stalk, etc. They are highly flammable and can catch fire even with minimal heat. So, buy decorations that are flame-resistant and made from non-combustible materials. And, if you want to use dried hay bales, make sure that you keep them away from heat.

Avoid using a real candle in a jack-o-lantern. It may start a fire or burn someone. It is best to use flashlight or consider buying battery-operated candles for illuminating pathways, jack-o-lanterns and other Halloween decorations. And, before you leave home for trick-or-treating, turn off the electrical decorations and extinguish open flames.

On the day of Halloween, ghosts, ghouls, and monsters are all part of the fun. But, electrical shocks and fire can spoil your fun. Remember that a Halloween should be scary, spooky and safe as well. Follow the basic electrical safety guidelines to keep away from real dangers.

Happy Halloween!