Smoking
Tobacco is manufactured to stay alight, meaning that it can easily remain smouldering and start a fire. Follow these safety tips to avoid causing a fire:
- never smoke in bed – it is very easy to fall asleep and allow your cigarette to set light to bedclothes and furnishings
- don’t smoke if you are drowsy – especially if you're sitting down in a comfortable chair or if you have been drinking or taking prescription drugs
- don’t leave a lit cigarette (or cigar or pipe) balancing in an ashtray – they can easily overbalance and land on the carpet or other flammable material. Also ensure your ashtray is heavy and placed where it cannot tip easily
- make totally sure that cigarette butts (and any remains in your pipe bowl) aren’t still smouldering when you’ve finished with them. Wet them and empty your ashtray into a metal bin outside the house
- keep lighters, matches and smoking materials out of the reach of children – consider buying child-resistant lighters and containers for matches
Candles
It only takes one candle to put your home and family at risk – always take the following precautions when using them and keep these safety tips in mind:
Where should I put candles?
Candles are best placed:
- on a heat-resistant surface – especially night lights and tea lights, which can get hot enough to melt plastic
- in a proper candle holder, so there is no chance they can fall over
- out of reach of children and pets
- out of draughts and away from curtains, other fabrics or furniture, which could catch fire
- with at least one metre (three feet) between the candle and any surface above it
- with at least 10 centimetres (four inches) between any two candles
- away from clothes and hair – if there’s any chance you could forget a candle is there and lean across it, put it somewhere else
Putting candles out
Never leave a lit candle unattended. Make sure you:
- put candles out before you leave a room and before you go to bed
- never leave a burning candle or oil burner in a child’s bedroom
- use a snuffer or a spoon to put them out – blowing them can send sparks and hot wax flying
- double-check that they are completely out and not still smouldering
Candles and celebrations
Candles and night lights are often used in celebrations for Christmas, Diwali and other festivals. Make sure you don’t put candles in or by a Christmas tree, or other plants, flowers or foliage. You should also be careful that ribbons, greeting cards and other decorations such as tinsel are kept away from candle flames.
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