May is National Electrical Safety Month
May 13, 2010
May is National Electrical Safety Month, and Baldwin EMC is using this time to call attention to the importance of home electrical safety. Hazards commonly found in older homes are increasingly causing fires and fatalities in the United States. Many of these tragedies can be prevented by taking a few precautionary measures.
According to the National Fire Protection Association there is an annual average of more than 53,000 electrical home structures, claiming more than 450 lives, injuring more than 1,400 people, and causing more than $1.4 billion in property damage. In the workplace, electrical hazards are the cause of another almost 4,000 non-fatal injuries.
“The key element to electrical safety is awareness,” said Baldwin EMC Chief Executive Officer Bucky Jakins. “If people are aware of the hazards present around them at home, at work, at school and at play, and of the many simple ways they can keep safe, those statistics can be dramatically reduced.”
By educating homeowners about common hazards in older homes and installing lifesaving electrical safety devices, these risks can be reduced greatly.
Some products homeowners can install to cut their risk of electrical hazards include Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI), outlets that automatically shut off power when they detect a potential fire hazard; Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI), outlets that cut out when they sense water coming into contact with them; and Tamper-Resistant Outlets, which are designed to protect children from inserting small objects into them.
In addition to installing the technology above, here are some additional safety tips:
• Make sure functioning smoke alarms are installed on every floor and in every sleeping area.
• Look for telltale signs of electrical problems such as dimming lights, frequent circuit breaker trips, or blown fuses.
• Limit use of extension cords, particularly cords used to power room air conditioners.
• Use light bulbs that are the proper wattage for a fixture; higher wattage bulbs can degrade wires.
For more electrical safety tips, visit Baldwin EMC online at www.baldwinemc.com.