May is Electric Safety Month - Is Your Home or Condo Safe From Electrical Hazards?

May is national Electrical Safety Month, a good time to remind everyone of ways to be safe around and electricity and to treat electricity with respect. We all take electricity for granted because we use it everyday in our homes, businesses, etc. We surely could not be writing this blog, nor could you be reading it without electricity. It’s just simply become a way of life for us, and like many other things, we take electricity for granted. Electric Safety Month is dedicated to educating people on the dangers of electricity.

By being careless in our use of it in our homes and at the work-site we can cause serious injury, possible death, and fires. The majority of electrical accidents and injuries caused by electricity come from unsafe equipment or installation, an unsafe environment, or unsafe work practices. 

Electrical Safety at Home:

• Use only appliances and equipment approved by Underwriters Laboratories. (Look for the UL listing on the label). 
• Keep all radios, hair dryers and other appliances secured or out of bathrooms. Hair dryers should never be used near water-filled tubs and sinks. Teach your children that electricity and water don't mix.
• Don't overload electrical outlets. If your TV picture shrinks or flickers when major appliances are turned on, or if you notice that fuses or circuit breakers blow out frequently, then you should have your circuits and wiring checked.
• Never unplug or carry an appliance by its cord. Don't run cords under carpets or furniture. The cords can overheat and/or become frayed.
• Teach your children not to poke things into electrical outlets, toasters, or any other appliance, whether they're on or off.

Electrical Safety Outdoors:

  

• Keep all ladders and tools at least ten feet away from any power lines. Put up ladders only when you have work to do. Make sure that if the ladder were to fall, it would not contact any power lines or electrical equipment.
• Any outdoor outlets should be on a circuit that is protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). These are required in newer homes in bathrooms, garages, outdoors and near sinks. GFCIs can be added as a temporary plug-in adapter, added as a replacement outlet or installed as a circuit breaker. Check with your electrician for options.
• Teach your children not to fly kites near power lines or around electrical substations.
• Teach your children not to climb or play in trees if there are power lines nearby or lines touching or growing through the branches.

Electrical Safety at Work:

  

• Train all employees to make them thoroughly familiar with safety procedures for their jobs. 
• Use insulating protective equipment.
• Properly maintain tools that help protect workers against electric hazards. When a defect is found in a tool, it should be removed from service and tagged so that no one will use it until it has been repaired or replaced.
• Where extension cords are used, make sure that they are factory-assembled, 3-wire type cord sets.
• Do not remove cords from receptacles by pulling on the cords themselves.
• Use double-insulated tools and equipment that are distinctively marked.
• Visually inspect all electrical equipment before use. Remove from service tools with frayed cords, missing ground prongs, cracked tool casings, etc.

Although Electrical Safety Month only comes once a year, it's important for you to pay attention to the basic safety rules all year long. Your life depends on it.