Electrical Safety at Home

If there is ever one thing that the NFPA (National Fire Protection Asssociation) teaches better than anyone else, it is how not to be a “Doofus”! Electricity is an integral part of our lives… have you watched the Revolution TV series? Doing without electricity now is practically impossible! However, just like every other inventions cooked up by man, and despite the obvious advantages of electricity that we are all well aware of… electricity has its flaws and it can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly especially around your home.

It is very important to be cautious of electricity and avoiding accidents related to electrical faults for homeowners. And it’s not about the adults only… oh no, kids too need to be told of the dangers they could put themselves in if they play with anything electrical in and around the house. I myself had a bad experience with electricity as a young kid growing up right here in downtown Sacramento. I think ultimately the respect I gained for electric is what prompted me to eventually start the Electrician Squad. Anyway I digress. Let your small children know that it’s not cool to stick metal objects in sockets (outlets). The older ones also need to be made alert of some of the dangers of leaving electrical gadgets on even when not in use or letting electrical leads run all over the floor in a mess. Same for overloading power outlets…

The “Switched On Kids” website is a good place to start with the kids. They have animated some nice lessons that your children are sure to enjoy while learning a lot. There are loads of resources for adults too. You can learn how to guide your children on safe use of electricity in your home. The lesson plans provided are simple and comprehensive yet they serve their purpose well for both adults and children. Kids can fun with the worksheets with different tasks. Here’s what the website says about your children and electricity safety at home:

Top Electrical Safety Tips

To help you and your children stay safe while using electrical appliances… Click here for more fun electrical safety tips and games for all

Electrical safety at home is not just about getting shocked and tripping over toaster leads, electrical fires are just as dangerous! The NFPA has staggering statistics on home fires caused by electrical faults. Misusing or mishandling electricyt could be the fastest way to lose your property and belogings in a fire!

When they are not organizing singing contests, the NFPA is busy tying to take the electrical home safety gospel to the grassroot by providing training, holding expos and training as well as conducting communiity based campaigns for electrical safety.

Here are some figures collected by John R. Hall, Jr. in his aticle on electrical fires as published on the NFPA website:

Electrical Fires

The most inclusive and direct interpretation of “electrical fire” is a fire involving some type of electrical failure or malfunction. Any equipment powered by electricity can have such a failure.

 

In 2011, an estimated 47,700 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments involved some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a factor contributing to ignition. These fires resulted in 418 civilian deaths, 1,570 civilian injuries, and $1.4 billion in direct property damage. In 2007-2011, home electrical fires represented 13% of total home structure fires, 18% of associated civilian deaths, 11% of associated civilian injuries, and 20% of associated direct property damage…. find out more about electrical fires

Now that you know how to keep your children safe from electrical related accidents at home and how to prevent electrical fires, maybe it’s time I reminded you that you should extend your knowledge on everything electrical about your home. What do I mean?

Did you know that you are required by law to get an electrical inspection permit every time you want to do something like renovations around your home for your safety? Most problems occur at the receptacles as the General Manager Steve Smith from the Electrical Safety Authority (ElectricalSafetyESA) clearly points out in this outstanding video on home safety.

Learn what a breaker is and how to identify different circuits, try to find out how old your wiring is, do you have frayed cords in and around your home? These are jsut some of the important factors you will need to get familiar with real quick. Check out this video:

 

 

Image Credit: Safety Tips Electrical Fires Stats

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