Electricity Safety Checklist

5/22/2017 (Permalink)

Electricity Safety Checklist

• Call a qualified electrician or your landlord if you have:
  
  
  
  • Frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers
  
  
  • A tingling feeling when you touch an electrical appliance
  
  
  • Discolored or warm wall outlets
  
  
  • A burning or rubbery smell coming from an appliance
  
  
  • Flickering or dimming lights
  
  
  • Sparks from an outlet q Inspect your home for hidden electrical hazards. 
  
  
  
  

• Inspect your home for hidden electrical hazards.


• Check electrical cords to make sure the wires are not damaged, cracked or loose. If the cords need to be repaired, take the item to a professional repair shop, hire an electrician or replace with a new item.


• Make sure cords are not running across doorways or under carpets. If they are, have a qualified electrician install more outlets.


• Keep children away from electric cords and outlets. Cords placed in the mouth can cause a burn and objects placed in a receptacle can cause a shock, burns or electrocution.


• Make sure that all receptacle outlets and switches have faceplates.


• Never put more than one plug in each receptacle. An outlet may have one or more receptacles — one to receive each plug.


• Be sure that the bulbs in your lights match what is safe for the lamp. There should be a sticker that indicates the maximum wattage for the light bulb — such as use maximum of a 60 watt bulb.


• Light bulbs in the living area of your home, including closets, should have a shade or globe for protection. Light bulbs can get very hot and cause a fire if something that can burn is too close.


• Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) reduce the risk of shock by shutting off an electrical circuit when the circuit could be a shock hazard. Your home should have GFCIs in the kitchen, bathroom(s), laundry, basement, garage, and outdoor areas.


• Heat producing appliances such as a toaster, coffee maker, iron or microwave oven draw a lot of electricity. Plug only one heat producing appliance in each outlet to prevent wiring from overheating.


• Buy only appliances that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory.


• Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) protect against fire by monitoring the electrical current in a circuit and shutting off the circuit when unintended arcing occurs. AFCIs should be installed in your home. If not, have a qualified electrician install them for you.


• Keep ladders away from overhead power lines, including the electrical service into your home.

Source : http://www.nfpa.org