Here are some good safety tips for opening Word documents, especially since Microsoft seems to be so slow at patching known exploits. The easiest and most foolproof (so far) method is to open your documents in an online service: either Office online or Google Docs. This way the desktop exploits can’t be utilized.
Microsoft Office document files you download from the internet can harm your PC. Office files can contain dangerous macros, but macros aren’t the only risk. With new malware attacking PCs through dangerous Office documents that don’t even contain macros, keeping yourself safe in Office is just one of the security practices you should follow.