Root Electric Urges Northern Virginia Families to Take Precautions for Electrical Safety at Home
The statistics are sobering: of approximately 4000 electrical injuries in the home each year, at least 400 of those are fatal. One third of those accidents and deaths happen to children. Aside from that, there are nearly 53,000 electrical fires in homes annually, resulting in another 1400 injuries, 450 deaths and $1.4 billion in damage. With that in mind, here at Root Electric, we want to remind families throughout Northern Virginia to pay close attention to electrical safety at home. It could save your life, and the lives of those you love.
Before we go any further, however, let us say that there are two very simple ways to ensure electrical safety at home:
- Insert plastic electrical plug caps into all of the unused outlets in your house. This keeps kids from sticking fingers, toys, forks, hairpins or anything else into the outlet so they avoid electrocution.
- Call Root Electric Services to have Tamper Resistant (TR) outlets installed in your home. This is an important electrical safety upgrade that also helps your home meet national electrical code regulations.
The following are other critical electrical safety factors to consider in your home:
Electrical Safety in the Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the most popular rooms in the home, and it is also one of the most common places for electrical accidents. Be sure to keep the cords for all electrical appliances tucked safely away and out of reach of children. Also keep the appliances and their cords away from the sink, or any place where they could easily get wet. For added electrical safety at home, store appliances out of reach and off the counter when not in use.
Electrical Safety in the Bathroom
The bathroom is another hotspot for electrical accidents because of the mix of outlets, appliances and water, all in close proximity to each other. Make sure your bathrooms (and kitchen, for that matter) have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlets (GFCI), which are now required in all new homes. These three-pronged outlets help ensure electrical safety at home by shutting off power locally if they sense water or any other problems. All electrical cords and bathroom appliances should be kept out of reach of children and away from water at all times.
Electrical Safety Outside
Just like indoors, make sure outdoor electrical outlets are weather protected and also child protected with plastic outlet caps. Make sure to keep trees trimmed back and far away from any power lines, especially trees that children might like to climb. If trees or branches are too close to powerlines, call the utility company for assistance. If a kite or toy gets caught in a power line, never attempt to remove it yourself. Always contact the power company. If a storm or any other mishap knocks a power line down into your hard, do not let anyone come near it and call the utility company immediately.
Teach Children about Electrical Safety at Home
Talk to your children about how to stay safe from electrical hazards indoors and outdoors. Armed with the knowledge that they should…
- Never, ever touch a downed power line
- Never stick anything into an electrical outlet (other than a plug if they are old enough)
- Never get an electrical appliance near the water
- Always tell an adult if their kite winds around a power line (never try to get it down yourself)!
…children will know how to stay safe around electricity.
Finally, it is always important to call a certified or master electrician whenever you need electrical repairs around the home, even if they are as small as having an outlet replaced or a light fixture installed. Not only do many homeowner’s insurance policies require this, but your life and the lives of your family depend on it.