Consumers need to be aware of some brands of seasonal lights that have been recalled by Health Canada.

Health Canada received multiple reports of injuries from the use of seasonal lights, including electric shock and minor burns.  So they began a national sampling and evaluation of seasonal lights in order to test them. Their test results found that some products have the potential to overheat or cause fire or electric shock.

All the recalled products have the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) certification on them. Health Canada informed the CSA Group of these incident reports, and CSA Group has advised that it is engaged in an active ongoing investigation of seasonal lighting. CSA Group has a zero tolerance policy for the misuse of its marks.

Wal-Mart Canada has done sampling and evaluating of their own and found that some of the seasonal lighting they have on their shelves can overheat. The company has put out its own recall notice affecting over 487,000 boxes of lights sold from August to November.

Several different retailers have sold these recalled products, including dollar stores, garden stores, department stores, hardware stores, home improvement stores, and pharmacies.

While home owners are the main group of consumers reached out to during a recall, any employee or employer who has purchased seasonal lights and decorations for the office or any building at his or her place of employment should also be aware of these recalls.

For Updated Information

All consumers are advised to stop using these products immediately if they are using them. In order to know which products are on the recall list, you must identify them by their CSA number. There is a list of affected products and their CSA numbers on the Health Canada website. The list is not necessarily exhaustive at this time. It will be updated whenever there are additional recalls or communications. Link to the page here.