This Diwali, be careful of those tiny lights that decorate your house

BUY KNOWN BRANDS FROM RELIABLE RETAILERS AND IF YOU CAN FIND FESTIVAL LIGHTS THAT CARRY A THIRD PARTY GUARANTEE FROM A STANDARDS ORGANIZATION

Diwali is still another three days away but already those tiny, sparkling decorative lights have gone up on almost every building— both official and residential.

In official buildings, the chances of someone touching them are rare but not so in residential buildings and that’s where one needs to exercise utmost caution, more so because we do not have mandatory safety standards for these small ornamental lights.

These tiny lights seem really harmless but in many a household, festivities have ended on a tragic note because of these lights. Last Deepawali, two residents of Goregaon East, Mumbai, got electrocuted from these lights hung over their balcony.

According to the police, 27-year old Priyanka Bharti and her two-year-old son Prince were watching the fireworks display in their housing society from their balcony when the mishap occurred. The cause was the faulty wiring of the decorative lights put up on the balcony.

Some years earlier, a residential colony in South Delhi witnessed a similar tragedy— a woman got electrocuted while putting wet clothes to dry on the metallic grille of her balcony on which the tiny lights had been hung.

In order to prevent such mishaps caused by substandard festive lights, several countries around the world have brought them under mandatory quality certification. In Australia, for example, all decorative lights must meet Australian safety standards and are required to indicate on the appliance their compliance with the standards. Similarly in the Philippines, all Christmas lights should meet the specifications mandated by the Bureau of Philippine Standards. Singapore too has similar requirements.

In the United States, all manufacturers, importer and retailers should ensure that all holiday lights and decorations meant for sale in the USA comply with the voluntary standards drawn up by the Underwriters Laboratories- UL 588. Any product that fails to comply with the safety standard will be deemed to be defective, inviting action such as seizure, destruction or recall.

Since the decorative lights sold here are not covered under any such mandatory safety requirement, we need to exercise utmost care not just while buying these lights but also during their use.

So first and foremost, buy known brands from reliable retailers and if you can find festival lights that carry a third party guarantee from a standards organization, that should be your preferred choice. Otherwise, check the wires and make sure that they are not too thin to carry the load and that they do not come out of the holders easily, as such exposed wires can cause electrocution.

If you are reusing the lights bought the previous year, examine them carefully and make sure that there are no cracked or frayed wires or loose connections or broken sockets that could start a fire or cause an electric shock.

Avoid putting them on metallic grille of a balcony or any metallic surface which is likely to be touched. Also ensure that the area where you are putting up the lights is dry and there is no likelihood of water entering the area where you are plugging the electrical cords. .

Do not use metallic nails to hold them in place. Do not plug too many chords into one multichannel outlet—such overloading can cause it to heat up, eventually leading to a fire. Make sure that cords are not squeezed under doors, windows or potted plants, as that could damage the insulation of the wire. Never touch the chord or the lights or the surface on which they have been hung, without unplugging them from the main socket. You need to be particularly careful if it rains during this period or you are watering some plants nearby. Always switch off the lights and unplug them before you go to sleep.