Electrical Safety
In the U.S., fire departments respond to an estimated annual average of 47.820 reported house fires involving an electrical failure or malfunction between 2007-2011. These fires resulted in 455 deaths, 1,518 injuries, and $1.5 billion in direct property damage. Some of these fires were caused by misuse and poor maintenance of electrical appliances, faulty wiring, and overloaded plugs and extension cords. We have supplied some helpful tips for you and your family to prevent the loss of life & property from electrical fires.
May is National Electrical Safety Month - The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) promotes electrical safety across North America by facilitating public education throughout the year and observing National Electrical Safety Month (NESM) each May.
ELECTRICAL FIRE FACTS
* Roughly half (48%) of home electrical failure fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment in 2007-2011.
* In 2007-2011, 46% of electrical failure home fires involved other known type of equipment. The leading other known type of equipment involved in home electrical failure fires are washer or dryer, fans, and portable or stationary space heater.
* U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 22,410 reported home structure fires involving electrical distribution or lighting equipment in 2007-2011. These fires resulted in 325 civilian fire deaths, 950 civilian fire injuries, and $817 million in direct property damage.
* Some type of electrical failure or malfunction was cited as factor contributing to ignition for 74% of electrical distribution or lighting equipment home structure fires.
INDOOR SAFETY TIPS
* Repair or replace damaged or loose electrical cords.
* Avoid running an extension cord across doorways or under carpets.
* Make sure your home has tamper-resistant (TR) receptacles if you have small children.
* Consider adding additional circuits or outlets by a qualified electrician so you do not need to use extension cords.
* Follow manufacturer's instructions for plugging in an appliance to a receptacle outlet.
* Avoid overloading an outlet. Plug in only one high-wattage appliance into each receptacle outlet at a time.
* If outlets or switches feel warm, frequently tripping circuits or blowing fuses, or you have flickering or dimming lights, call a certified electrician.
* Place lamps on level surfaces and away from things that can burn. Use light bulbs that match your lamps recommended wattage.
* Make sure your home has ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in the kitchen, bathroom(s), laundry room, basement, and outdoors.
* Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) should be installed in your home to protect electrical outlets.
* If you don't have tamper-resistant receptacles, use safety closures to "child proof" electrical outlets.
* When buying lights or appliances, always look for the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) standard sticker or tag for safety.
* If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it in a 3-slot outlet. Never force it into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.
OUTDOOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Lighting to improve the safety and look our homes, electric tools to make outdoor yard work easier, and power lines to our home all need to be handled with care, and below are some safety tips for outdoor electrical safety.
* Have a certified electrician do all electrical work.
* To prevent electrical shocks, make sure all outdoor electrical receptacles are ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protected.
* Store all electrical tools indoors.
* Keep electrical tools away from children.
* Use lighting and power tools that have a label of an independent test laboratory and make sure they are made for outdoor use.
* Use extension cords that have a label of an independent test laboratory and marked for outdoor use.
* Extension cords are not meant for long-term use.
* Have a professional tree service cut and trim branches that may fall on electrical wiring.
* Use a wooden or fiberglass ladder outdoors and at least 10 feet from all power lines.
* Never touch anyone or anything in contact with a downed wire.
* Downed power lines may still be live, stay a safe distance from them (especially if the ground is wet or flooding is observed).
* Report downed wires to the power company and dial 911.
May is National Electrical Safety Month - The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) promotes electrical safety across North America by facilitating public education throughout the year and observing National Electrical Safety Month (NESM) each May.
ELECTRICAL FIRE FACTS
* Roughly half (48%) of home electrical failure fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment in 2007-2011.
* In 2007-2011, 46% of electrical failure home fires involved other known type of equipment. The leading other known type of equipment involved in home electrical failure fires are washer or dryer, fans, and portable or stationary space heater.
* U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 22,410 reported home structure fires involving electrical distribution or lighting equipment in 2007-2011. These fires resulted in 325 civilian fire deaths, 950 civilian fire injuries, and $817 million in direct property damage.
* Some type of electrical failure or malfunction was cited as factor contributing to ignition for 74% of electrical distribution or lighting equipment home structure fires.
INDOOR SAFETY TIPS
* Repair or replace damaged or loose electrical cords.
* Avoid running an extension cord across doorways or under carpets.
* Make sure your home has tamper-resistant (TR) receptacles if you have small children.
* Consider adding additional circuits or outlets by a qualified electrician so you do not need to use extension cords.
* Follow manufacturer's instructions for plugging in an appliance to a receptacle outlet.
* Avoid overloading an outlet. Plug in only one high-wattage appliance into each receptacle outlet at a time.
* If outlets or switches feel warm, frequently tripping circuits or blowing fuses, or you have flickering or dimming lights, call a certified electrician.
* Place lamps on level surfaces and away from things that can burn. Use light bulbs that match your lamps recommended wattage.
* Make sure your home has ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in the kitchen, bathroom(s), laundry room, basement, and outdoors.
* Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) should be installed in your home to protect electrical outlets.
* If you don't have tamper-resistant receptacles, use safety closures to "child proof" electrical outlets.
* When buying lights or appliances, always look for the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) standard sticker or tag for safety.
* If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it in a 3-slot outlet. Never force it into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.
OUTDOOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Lighting to improve the safety and look our homes, electric tools to make outdoor yard work easier, and power lines to our home all need to be handled with care, and below are some safety tips for outdoor electrical safety.
* Have a certified electrician do all electrical work.
* To prevent electrical shocks, make sure all outdoor electrical receptacles are ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protected.
* Store all electrical tools indoors.
* Keep electrical tools away from children.
* Use lighting and power tools that have a label of an independent test laboratory and make sure they are made for outdoor use.
* Use extension cords that have a label of an independent test laboratory and marked for outdoor use.
* Extension cords are not meant for long-term use.
* Have a professional tree service cut and trim branches that may fall on electrical wiring.
* Use a wooden or fiberglass ladder outdoors and at least 10 feet from all power lines.
* Never touch anyone or anything in contact with a downed wire.
* Downed power lines may still be live, stay a safe distance from them (especially if the ground is wet or flooding is observed).
* Report downed wires to the power company and dial 911.
