Our homes are filled with things that run on electricity. Electricity makes our lives easier, but it can also be dangerous if you’re not careful. Electricity is especially dangerous to curious children and if it comes in contact with water.
A special outlet called a ground fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, can prevent you and your family from being hurt by electricity. A GFCI outlet will quickly stop the flow of electricity if an electrical appliance comes in contact with water or if a ground fault occurs.
GFCI’s should be installed in outlets near any source of water in your home. If young children live in or visit your home, you may want a “tamper resistant” GFCI. These have a built-in shutter that prevents children from putting things into the outlet and getting an electrical shock.
Set aside one Saturday this month as a “Safety Saturday” and work with your family to look at all of the different ways you use electricity in each room of your home. Use the Home Safety Council’s room-by-room guide to find and fix potential hazards before a shock or other injury occurs.
Laundry Room: In most homes, a lot more than doing laundry takes place in the laundry room. With your washer, dryer and utility sink all likely in close quarters, it’s especially important to have a GFCI in the laundry room. All electrical outlets near water should be protected by GFCIs. If the outlets in your laundry room aren’t already protected, an electrician can install a GFCI for you. Also make sure all appliances in the laundry room are kept dry and away from water at all times.
Kitchen: With so many kitchen gadgets available, many families struggle to find enough outlets for their appliances. Take a look at the outlets in your kitchen and make sure you don’t have too many appliances plugged in at once. Unplug your toaster oven, coffee maker and other small kitchen appliances after using them. If you don’t have GFCI’s in your kitchen, call an electrician and ask to have them installed.
Bathroom: The combination of water and electrical appliances in the bathroom make this an important area of the home for your electrical safety makeover. Make sure the electrical outlets near your tub and sink are protected with GFCI’s or call an electrician to install a GFCI for you. Store hair dryers, curling irons and razors away from water and always unplug appliances after using them.
Nursery: Electricity can especially be dangerous to curious children. Inspect the outlets and appliances in your nursery and take steps to make sure the nursery offers a safe place where your baby can learn and grow. Install special child safety receptacles to keep children from putting things into outlets. Tamper-resistant receptacles have a built-in safety shutter that opens when a plug is plugged in, but will not open for a single object such as a key, hair-pin or paper clip. Tamper-resistant receptacles are safer than small outlet covers that can be taken in and out. Small outlet covers also present a choking danger for young children.
Visit the Safety Guide for a complete list of electrical safety tips.
To learn more about electrical safety, visit MySafeHome. Be sure to tour the laundry room, kitchen, bathroom and nursery for tips you can use to protect your family from electrical problems.
