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As we work to complete our projects, it helps to increase our electrical safety awareness so that we don’t end up like thousands of citizens who are injured or killed each year by electrical hazards. Even if we consider ourselves safe workers, we can protect our co-workers and family members from harm by reviewing some simple rules with them.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ranks electrocution sixth among all causes of occupational fatalities. The construction industry alone accounted for approximately 44 percent of those fatalities, according to the National Safety Council.

In the home, large appliances accounted for 34 percent of consumer-related electrocutions, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Gardening, lawn and farming equipment resulted in approximately 7 percent of the consumer-product electrocutions in the CPSC study.

The Electrical Safety Foundation International notes that the following safety rules can reduce electrical deaths and injuries:

Avoid damp conditions, including wet grass. Water does not mix with electricity.
Avoid power lines! Ladders—even those made of wood—carried in an upright position—can contact a power line with potentially fatal results.
Unplug outdoor tools and appliances when not in use.
Inspect power tools and appliances for frayed cords, broken plugs and cracked or broken housing and repair or replace damaged items.
Use ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI’s) on outdoor outlets. Portable GFCI’s are available from most hardware and home improvement stores.

For more electrical safety information, visit www.electrical-safety.org and be sure to download the Outdoor Electrical Safety Check in ESFI’s Library.

Safety Poster

April 2005 IBEW Journal

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