Eliminate the top electrical safety threats around your home

May is Electrical Safety Month and a good time to review electrical safety practices. Increasing electrical safety awareness, following electrical safety guidelines and using tools and technology designed to address electrical hazards are all components of a safety program.

What causes the top electrical hazards? Many are the result of the growing use of electrical power, combined with electrical systems that are over 20 years old. Wiring hazards are both a major cause of electrocutions and home fires, killing hundreds and injuring thousands each year. Misuse of surge suppressors, power strips and extension cords is also a cause of electrocutions and fires.

Contact with power lines and major appliances contribute to hundreds of deaths annually, both at home and in the workplace. Eliminating these electrical hazards will help reduce deaths and injuries.

Eliminating electrical hazards begins with education and awareness. A focus on electrical safety, both at home and in the workplace, can prevent the hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries and billions of dollars in economic losses that occur each year because of electrical hazards.

Use of tools and technology can also make our reliance on electrical power less hazardous. Investing in ground vault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs), circuit testers and where necessary, personal protective equipment (PPE), can significantly reduce risk.

Eliminate top safety threats to prevent electrical injuries

We recommend that taking the proper steps to eliminate the top electrical safety threats around the home can prevent thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths that needlessly occur each year.

The top electrical safety hazards include:

Electrical fires caused by aging wiring.

Misuse of surge suppressors and extension cords.

Read the original here:
Eliminate the top electrical safety threats around your home