Simple Ways To Safely Use Electricity

May 20, 2021, 2:08 PM

Electrical safety is invaluable for most people every day. It certainly is for you and me — after all, without a safe source of electricity, I wouldn’t have been able to add this blog post to our website, and you couldn’t read it.

In 2019 in the U.S., there were about 7,000 residential building fires that resulted in injuries. A third of them were from cooking fires, and another 8% were because of electrical malfunctions. (The remainder were from smoking, open flames, and other causes.) More men die and are injured in fires than women. People age 85 and older have the highest fire death rate.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends a few simple ways to safely use electricity:

• Check electrical cords to make sure they are not running across doorways or under carpets. Extension cords are intended for temporary use.
• Major appliances (refrigerators, dryers, washers, stoves, air conditioners, microwave ovens, etc.) should be plugged directly into a wall receptacle outlet. Extension cords and plug strips should not be used.
• Only use one heat-producing appliance (such as a coffee maker, toaster, space heater, etc.) plugged into a receptacle outlet at a time.
• Use ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to reduce the risk of shock. GFCIs shut off an electrical circuit when it becomes a shock hazard. They should be installed inside the home in bathrooms, kitchens, garages and basements. All outdoor receptacles should be GFCI protected.

If you have any questions about the electricity in your home and what you can do to make sure you’re safe, contact a qualified electrician. He or she can walk through your home and manage any trouble spots you have. The NFPA recommends contacting someone as soon as you can if you identify a situation like:

• A burning or rubbery smell coming from an appliance
• A tingling feeling when you touch an electrical appliance
• Discolored or warm wall outlets
• Flickering or dimming lights
• Frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers
• Sparks from an outlet

Safety when working with electricity can lead to fewer injuries and even deaths. It doesn’t take a lot to be cautious; you just need to know what to look for and how to handle it.

Questions? Let us know in the comments.

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