Published: May 09, 2008 01:17 pm            

Shocking? May is National Electrical Safety Month

Protect your home, family from fires, electrocution

EDMOND — Hazards commonly found in older homes increasingly are causing fires and fatalities in the United States.

However, by taking a few simple steps and by incorporating newer technology you can protect your home from many of these dangers. Each year the Electrical Safety Foundation International and Mr. Electric sponsor May as National Electrical Safety Month.

For this year’s campaign, the foundation is helping consumers to take an active role in identifying older home hazards and in safeguarding their families from the dangers these hazards pose.

“Home electrical problems account for nearly 55,000 home fires every year,” said Jeff Meyers, president of Mr. Electric. “These fires cause over 500 deaths, injure more than 1,400 people, and account for $1.4 billion in property damage. Older homes are at even greater risk to fire.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, half of the homes in the United States were built before 1973.

These homes and electrical systems were built before many of the appliances and electronics that we commonly use today were around. A third of U.S. homes were built before hair dryers or electric can openers were invented. Half of the homes were built before the advent of the garage door opener or the home computer.

“As each year goes by Americans are using more energy in their homes,” said Brett Brenner, ESFI president. “Many homes and electrical systems in the U.S. are simply being overburdened leading to fires, deaths and injuries.”

For May 2008, ESFI is providing consumers with a checklist that will allow consumers to identify electrical dangers commonly found in each room of their home. ESFI also will educate owners of older homes on newer fire prevention technology such as Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters. These advanced electronic circuit breakers detect dangerous conditions in a home’s wiring and cut off power to the circuit before a fire develops.

Additionally, the foundation will encourage those living in older homes with children to install tamper-resistant receptacles.

These devices look like normal electrical outlets except they have a built-in shutter system that prevents children from inserting foreign objects into the slots.

These outlets will prevent most of the 2,400 burns sustained by children each year from outlets.



MORE INFORMATION and resources relating to National Electrical Safety Month 2008 may be found at www.electricalsafety.org.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.