LIHU‘E — Electricity is the cause of more than 140,000 fires annually, resulting in more than 500 deaths, 4,000 injuries and $1.6 billion in property damage in the United States, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International website. John and
LIHU‘E — Electricity is the cause of more than 140,000 fires annually, resulting in more than 500 deaths, 4,000 injuries and $1.6 billion in property damage in the United States, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International website.
John and Conrad Dreisch of Advanced Electrical Solutions in Kapa‘a accepted a proclamation from Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. announcing May as National Electrical Safety Month, Tuesday morning at the Mo‘ikeha Building, Lihu‘e Civic Center.
There are more than seven people electrocuted each week in the United States and through practicing basic electrical safety precautions, a lot of the damage, injuries and death can be prevented, the proclamation states.
Most of the electrical fires could easily have been prevented if wires were removed from under rugs, frayed cords were replaced, outlets were not overloaded, and the proper wattage light bulb was put in light fixtures, states a University of Maryland Environmental Safety website.
“Modern homes run on electricity, but if you don’t properly maintain your electrical products, they can create hazards,” said ESFi president Brett Brenner in a PRWeb release. “The good news is that eliminating electrical hazards from a home does not have to be difficult or expensive.”
ESFi Foundation is dedicated to promoting electrical safety in the home, school and workplace through education, awareness and advocacy.
ESFi sponsors National Electrical Safety Month in May to increase public awareness of the electrical hazards around people at home, work, school, and play, states the PRWeb website.
This year’s theme challenges consumers to focus on electrical safety in a different area of the home each week during May: Cooking Up Safety in the Kitchen, May 2 through 6; Plug Into Safety in the Family Room, May 9 through 13; Wake Up to Safety in the Bedroom, May 16-20; and Build a Foundation of Safety in the Basement, May 23 to 27.
This can be done utilizing a Home Electrical Safety Challenge which has been designed to teach people of all ages to identify and correct potential electrical hazards before a more serious situation can result. The toolkit can be downloaded at www.electrical-safety.org.
Citizens are challenged to check their homes and workplaces for possible electrical hazards and are urged to install, test, and properly maintain an adequate number of smoke detectors, the proclamation states.
Additionally, citizens are encouraged to protect their homes and families with the latest electrical safety technology which includes ground fault circuit interrupters, arc fault interrupters and tamper-resistant receptacles.
In addition to the National Electrical Safety Month campaign, ESFi actively engages in electrical safety awareness during the holidays with its Holiday Safety Campaign, Fire Prevention Week, supplementing these with other consumer-oriented programs such as “Buyer Beware Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign” and a “Should I DIY – Home Safety Campaign.”
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2007, recalled more than one million counterfeit electrical products including circuit breakers that did not trip when overloaded, cellular phone batteries without a safety device in the circuitry to prevent overcharging, and extension cords with mislabeled, undersized wiring which overheat, states a CPSC release.
Visit www.electrical-safety.org or www.advancedelectricalkauai.com for more information.
