Electrical & Fire Safety

Fire and Burn Prevention

• Fires and burnsare the second leading cause of household injuries.  Each year nearly4,000 people in the U.S. die in home fires.  Thousands of others are injuredas a result of fires or accidental burns.  Most of these deaths involvechildren and elderly adults.  Kitchen accidents, space heaters, chimneyfires, faulty electrical wiring, and cigarettes are common causes.  Checkyour home for fire hazards.  Install smoke detectors on every floor.

Tips on Fire Safety

• Dispose of cigarettes, cigars, and matches carefully.

• Install smoke detectors on each floor of your home and test them often.

• Plan two escape routes from each floor of your home and practice usingthem.  Be sure you can open doors and windows from the inside without akey.

• Never leave a burning candle or fireplace unattended.

• Don’t place anything that will burn near a furnace, water heater, spaceheater, or the stove top.

• Don’t use flammable chemicals near appliances with pilot lights.

• Have your furnace and chimney inspected each year.  Some utilitycompanies provide free or low cost inspections.

• Know how to put out kitchen fires.  If a fire occurs, don’tpanic.  For oven fires, close the door and turn off the oven.  Use apot lid to smother a stovetop fire.  Keep a filled ABC-rated fireextinguisher near the kitchen.

• Pay attention when you are cooking.  If you must leave the kitchenturn off all burners.

• Prevent scalds by setting your water heater to 120 degrees or lower. Anti-scald devices are available for bathtubs or showers.

• Know emergency phone numbers for your area.  In most places it is911.  Post the number near each telephone.  Teach children theemergency number.

Tips to Protect Children from Fires and Burns

• Teach children not to play with matches or lighters.  Store them outof sight and reach.

• Teach your children what to do if they smell smoke or hear the smoke alarm.

• Have children practice escaping from a fire.

• Never leave young children alone.

• Place pots and pans on the rear burner of the stove and always turn handlesinward so they are not accessible to toddlers.

• Keep the cords for crockpots, coffee makers, and deep fryers out of thereach of small children.

Electrical Safety

• While enjoyingelectric TVs, radios and other appliances, we may forget they can cause shocksand fires.  In 1990, bad plugs, cords, switches, and outlets caused about13,000 home fires and nearly 200 deaths.  Most electrical fires andinjuries can be prevented.  People should take the time to have theirelectrical systems inspected and learn about electrical safety.

Tips on Electrical Safety

• People who live in homes that are more than 10 years old should considerhaving the wiring inspected.  If your home is more than 40 years old, aninspection is overdue.  Be sure to consult with your local building inspectorbefore making repairs.

• Never place electric cords under rugs or bedding.  Heat or sparks fromthese cords could cause a fire.

• Follow the safety tips on new appliances.

• Check electrical cords for signs of wear.  Replace frayed or crackedcords to prevent shocks and fires.

• Check labels on lamps and use the right size bulb.  Check the label onyour fuse box and be sure you use the right size fuses.

• Fix electrical problems right away.  If fuses blow often, circuitbreakers trip often, switches get hot or people are shocked, something iswrong.

• Cover unused outlets with plastic plugs.

• If a cord has 3-prongs, use it properly.  Don’t remove the extraprong.  The third prong is there because the appliance must be grounded toprevent electrical shocks.

• Take cover during a thunder storm.  If you are indoors, stay away fromopen windows and doors and use the telephone only in an emergency.  If youare outdoors stay in your car and away from water, trees, and metalobjects.  Avoid low areas that might flood in a heavy rain.

• Do not overhaul outlets.  Extension cords shouldn't be used aspermanent fixtures in home rebuilding.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters

• A ground faultcircuit interrupter or GFCI is a special type of outlet that preventsshocks.  These outlets are recommended for areas where water isused.  Install GFCIs in bathrooms, kitchens (within 6 feet of the sink),laundry areas, garages, basements, outdoor outlets, and around pools, saunas,and hot tubs.  Test these outlets monthly.

For more information

• Fire Prevention: call your local fire department.

• Electrical Safety: call your local utility or an electrical contractor.

Fire Hazard from Fire Filling Portable Gas Can In vehichle

• In incidents reported to NIOSH in the US, firesspontaneously ignited when workers or others attempted to fill portablegasoline containers (gas cans) in the backs of pickup trucks equipped withplastic bed liners or in cars with carpeted surfaces. Serious skin burns andother injuries resulted.

• These fires result from the buildup ofstatic electricity. The insulating effect of the bed liner or carpetprevents the static charged generated by gasoline flowing into the container orother sources from grounding. The discharge of this buildup to the groundedgasoline dispenser nozzle may cause a spark and ignite the gasoline.

• Both ungrounded metal (most hazardous) and plastic gascontainers have been involved in these incidents, a NIOSH Hazard ID said.

Recommendations for prevention
Construction workers and others in small businesses who often work withgasoline powered equipment commonly use portable gas containers. Homeowners usegas cans for their landmowers and other equipment.

• Avoid the hazardouspractice of leaving the portable gas containers in trucks or cars whenrefueling

• Before filling, remove thecontainers from the vehicle and place them on the ground at a safe distancefrom the vehicle (provides path to dissipate static charge to ground)

• Touch the container withthe gas dispenser nozzle before removing the container lid (provides anotherpath to dissipate static charge to ground)

• Keep the nozzle in contactwith the container inlet when filling (to dissipate static charge buildup fromflow of gasoline)

Additional prevention measures include:

• Manufacturers or retailers- place a hazard label on all plastic liners being sold warning workers not tofill portable gas containers in the bed liner of the truck but always to placethe containers on the ground before filling

• Gas stations - display awarning notice near gas pumps to place all portable gas containers on theground before filling

• Manufacturers - build bedliners that can be grounded to the metal truck, thereby dissipating potentialelectrostatic charge