You better watch out: Decking the halls for Christmas can be a dangerous activity

ATLANTA (AP) _ You better watch out: Decking the halls for Christmas brings a sharp increase in injuries from falling off roofs, ladders and living room sofas. <br/><br/>In its first study of seasonal

Thursday, December 9th 2004, 12:28 pm

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ You better watch out: Decking the halls for Christmas brings a sharp increase in injuries from falling off roofs, ladders and living room sofas.

In its first study of seasonal spills, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that about 5,800 people a holiday season end up in U.S. emergency rooms because of decorating injuries.

The most serious injuries came from falling off roofs and ladders while hanging or taking down Christmas lights. People got hurt indoors, too, from falling off couches and chairs while decorating the tree or tripping over ornaments or other objects.

Men were more likely than women to get hurt during the Nov. 1-Jan. 31 holiday season. Men made up 58 percent of all ER visits because of decorating falls for the years studied, 2000 to 2003.

During the holiday season, researchers found, fall injuries rise to 12 percent of emergency-room visits, up from 9 percent during the rest of the year. Broken bones were the most common injury, making up 34 percent of all holiday decorating injuries.

The government warned people to hang those stockings with care: Do not stand on the top two rungs of a ladder, and use a step stool instead of a sofa to hoist a star to the top of a Christmas tree.