May Is Electrical Safety Month!

Electrical safety at home and at work is everyone’s responsibility is the life-saving message today offered jointly by the State Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC) and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOHSA) within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Don’t run the risk of an electrical fire, injury or electrocution. May is electrical safety month.  Here are some electrical safety tips for home, school and workplace:

• Never throw water on an electrical fire! Water conducts electricity. Electricity from the fire can shoot through the water and expose you to electrocution.
• Replace worn out electrical cords, switches and outlets.
• Minimize the use of extension cords. Don’t overload extension cords or plug them into one another. Use cords according to indoor/outdoor ratings.
• Install ground fault protection for outlets in the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, crawl spaces and unfinished basements, laundry and utility rooms, and outdoors.
• Don’t overload outlets with too many appliances.
• Charge mobile devices on a desk or countertop – never on a bed or chair that could overheat and catch on fire.
• Don’t overload electrical circuits. Surge protectors protect equipment, but they do not provide protection from the potential hazards of an overloaded circuit.

Electrical Safety Month is sponsored by the Electrical Safety Foundation International, a non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to promoting electrical safety.