How to Avoid Electrical Accidents in Your Home.

Homeowners can protect their families from the hazards of electricity in their homes.

There are eight easy ways to provide this protection from electrical hazards.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Protect your young children by using outlet covers. Those little fingers love to explore, but you will need to use the plug-in type of covers or use special child safety plates that cover the outlets when they are not being used.

2. Keep electrical appliances away from water and moisture.
   
   If you ever have a time when an electrical appliance falls into water, do not try to get it out or even try to unplug the appliance. Go straight to your home electrical panel and shut off that circuit breaker.
   
   Once the circuit is off, you can unplug the appliance and get it out of the water.

3. Speaking of circuit breakers... If one of your appliances keeps tripping the circuit breaker, stop using this appliance until you can investigate the problem. Better yet, have a licensed electrician determine the source of the problem.

4. If you live in an older home that does not have ground fault circuit interrupters, have them installed in your kitchen, bathroom, garage, or any room in which electricity could come in contact with water.
   
   These affordable devices are life savers as they detect current leakages in circuits and then shuts off the power to that electrical receptacle. This will prevent severe electrical injuries.

5. Follow the guidelines when using those multiple plug-in devices at a single outlet. Plugging several electrical appliances in a single outlet is convenient, but be sure to follow the directions on the plug-in device before overloading it. Following this rating will prevent injury.

6. Take care of your power cords. Too much pressure on them can damage the cord's insulation. This can lead to overheating and potentially cause a fire.

7. Keep your electrical power tools dry by storing them carefully and using them only under dry conditions. Stay clear of puddles!

8. Follow specifications for using the right circuit breakers, fuses, and light bulbs. Make sure they are the right size and wattage rating for your purposes. Read packages carefully.

Tips & Warnings

• Inspect electrical devices regularly and replace worn cords, wall plates, plugs, etc.
• Hire a licensed electrician for electrical tasks that your are not totally familiar with. "Do It Yourself" is a fantastic trend among conscientious homeowners, but you should not just "give it a shot" when it comes to working with electricity. The "give it a shot" philosophy can lead to the "give you a shock"-- or worse-- outcome.