Be aware of the safety risks when putting up your christmas lights
Now Halloween and Bonfire Night is in the distant past, its time for the christmas lights and illuminations to go up. However, christmas lights pose significant risks, many of which are overlooked. Residents, businesses and clubs must be careful when putting up chrismtas lights, and research the electrical requirements and warnings, as well as their potential impact upon insurance.
An example of where Christmas lights can go wrong is a fire in Wiltshire, where faulty wiring caused devastating damage. The Birdport Fire Department are keen to remind people to follow electrical safety guidance, never overload your sockets and fit working smoke detectors.
The dangers of Christmas lights are prevalent. Indoor decorations and rooftop lights are additions which require considerations before being put up. Whether it’s for the whole of the Christmas season or for a specific event, insurance needs to be considered – Because, more than likely, your club’s decorations will affect your insurance.
At Club Insure, we answer your questions on Christmas lights insurance for sports and social clubs:
Will Christmas decorations affect my contents insurance?
Extra decorations will not invalidate your business insurance. However you insurance may require a temporary increase inorder to remain full covered. This additonal insurance might be deemed as religious festival insurance, or event insurance. The intention is to raie your club’s insured value temporarily, as to prevent underinsurance..
Christmas lights and decorations can range into the thousands of pounds all together. If there was a fire or flood, it could leave thousands of pounds unaccounted for. Furthermore, your illuinations could get stolen, and if not specified in the cover, their full value would not be insured. Ensure all your equipment is adequately insured, and that your club is not underinsured.
The solution to knowing if alterations to your contents insurance is required, contact your broker. Layout the details of your Christmas decorations to Club Insure and we will be able to advise as to whether a policy update is required.
What are the rules around Christmas lights in public areas?
When installing any lights, it is important to ensure the safety of the public and staff. Your public liability insurance needs to be amended, including risk assessments for your new Christmas décor. This can be done by communicating with your insurance broker.
If you want to decorate neighbouring premises in your town or village, you’ll need a license. Christmas lights license is the same as seeking decorative consent, and will require you to contact your local council. It is recommended to give the council up to 4 weeks for an application to be processed. Applicants should look to apply for a Christmas Lights Licence between October and November. A license will not be needed for your own property though. Businesses and clubs wishing to light up their own premises may do so, but for public areas will require the council’s consent.
Decorative lighting must be labelled and have product information available. Vegetation cannot be used to support electrical equipment, such as hung upon trees or bushes. This is because wind can easily dislodge electrics, and lights get very hot, possibly making the vegetation set aflame. Temporary lighting on your own premises is limited to a period of 90 days – any longer and warning suggest lights should be replaced. The longer lights stay up, the more likely these lights will become damaged, leading to electrical shorts, fires and shock hazards.
Ensure your lighting and decorations are properly risk assessed. Risk assessments will need to be evidenced in the event of a claim, and claims involving lights will likely be expensive. Make sure you have a risk assessment in place and have informed your broker of any new areas which could pose increased risks. Club Insure have risk assessment templates available for download.
Furthermore, the rules on when it’s socially acceptable to leave the lights up – January 6th is the accepted date, any longer and businesses will be seen a negligent.
Can my business keep Christmas lights on at night?
The answer is Yes as long as they are not so bright as to cause disruption, be that on the road or in residential areas.
Clubs should be aware that you may receive complaints and ultimately a cease and desist letter, under “statutory nuisance”, if sleep patterns are interrupted. Bright distracting lights can cause problems on roads at night, so be aware of this before considering keeping the illuminations on near busy roads.
It’s the expense to your club which may be the greatest concern. According to Creditfix’s Christmas Lights Calculator, costs of running lights can vary greatly; a string of 200 LED fairy lights would expect to increase club bills by 12p per six hours, whereas a Santa rope light archway for the same time would be £6.08. Equating to more than £188 per month, clubs need to factor these costs into their accounts. Ultimately keeping the lights on at night is a costly choice.
What are the benefits of putting up Christmas Lights for sports and social clubs?
If you can support the cost of the Christmas lights, and manage the risks, then christmas illuminations will bring many benefits for your club. Advertising your club to the community, christmas lights are excellent for promoting your club as open and welcoming. The purpose of the lights is to spread christmas cheer, and it is the responsibility of local clubs to engage the community, bringing society together.
Can the weather affect my Christmas lights insurance?
Winter weather causes many problems for clubs, read how to manage these winter risks. Large Christmas rooftop decorations only exasperate these risks. Ensure your inflatables and wiring are fastened down effectively. When fastening down, make sure the volunteer is ladder trained and is safely handling the electrics. Don’t fasten up the lights while they are live. Ensure the electrics are suitably waterproof; a weatherproof gasket may be required to lock out water. Higher quality products are less likely to break or causes fires.
The AA have cold weather advice on how to take care of your property; proper insulation, protecting your boiler and keep warm. We’ve also offered advice on icy conditions and how to mitigate the dangers.
Do I need more insurance for a Christmas event at my club?
Christmas parties or markets will increase the risks present at your club. Your club’s capacity could be higher than expected when running events, and risks to the public, staff and volunteers need to be addressed. Your club may not be automatically covered by standard insurance when running a Christmas event and therefore would require additional event insurance.
An extra bump to your insurance can be provided by one-off event insurance from Insure Our Event. Perfect from temporary events over a few days to one day parties, event insurance will increase your policy amount, ensuring you are extra protected. Increases to public liability cover, employers’ liability cover should be considered, as should insurance for any hired equipment. If your event is cancelled then event cancellation insurance will cover the costs. Event Insurance is available from just £25 from Insure Our Event, who are our recommended provided.
Read Insure Our Event’s information on event insurance and talk to your broker.