Holiday Office Lighting Safety Guide

From a variety of styles, sizes, and colors, holiday lights are one of the most common office holiday decorations. For safety, it is important to realize which lighting options are best for your office. Plus, holiday lights will also require a source of power with the proper use of power strips or extension cords. Prevent potential office hazards by discovering our office lighting safety guide during the holiday season.

Best Holiday Lighting Option

LED lights are the best choice for holiday lights. In comparison to incandescent light bulbs, LED lights are energy efficient. For one, they use 75 percent less electricity and last 25 times longer. Most importantly, they are safe to use. LED lights also reduce the risk of potential fires as they generate little heat. Spending a fortune already on holiday gifts? LED lights cost more up front, but last longer than other bulbs. The average rates life of LED lights can be up to 50,000 hours!

Lighting Tips

• Don’t nail or staple light strings (to walls, roofs, etc.) This could damage wire insulation.
• Place lights over or above nails for outdoor lighting. Utilize hanging clips for indoor lighting.
• Use a timer for holiday lighting can help prevent fire hazards and reduce energy consumption.
• Use indoor lighting indoors, outdoor lighting outdoors (check packaging for usage instructions).
• Power Strip vs Extension Cord

Holiday lights are often placed in unconventional places, such as ceilings or walls. Power strips and extension cords can by handy. For optimal safety, understand their differences. A power strip is an individual segment of a cable with one plug on the end with a row of sockets featured on a plastic box. An extension cord is much longer and contains two or three plugs. Additionally, it is imperative to understand that power strips can be utilized for a period of a few days. Extension cords should only be used for hours on end.

Power Strip Holiday Tips

• Avoid overloading power strips with major home appliances (space heater, oven). They are intended for small loads of power.
• Do not exceed the maximum voltage on a power strip to avoid catastrophic electrical fires and malfunctioning appliances.
• Don’t overuse devices. Power strips are not an efficient replacement for electrical outlets.
• Always check for a surge protection device. This helps preserve equipment if a short/surge occurs.
• Avoid plugging power strips and extension cords into each other to prevent weakening equipment, device impairment, and worst-case scenario—an office home.