Avoid These Potential Electrical Hazards (NAPSA)—FElectrical safety in and around the homeis noaccident. These tips from the Electrical Safety Foundation Interna- tional will help to remind you that hidden dangers can lurk in the most enjoyable environments. Improperly placed metal ladders that come into contact with over- head powerlines can be deadly, as can powercords that accidentally dip into water puddles. To help keep you and your family safe, here is a checklist that will guide you: Use appliances and equipment according to the manufacturer’s instructions. e Replace damaged electrical equipment or have it repaired at an authorized repair center. e Make sure power strips, cords and surge suppressors are designed to handle the loads for their intended use. Avoid overloading circuits by plugging too many items into the sameoutlet. Use ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection when working where water is near electricity to protect against electric shock. e Make certain that an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories Step Up To Safety— Keep your metal ladder at least 10 feet from power lines to avoid arcs. (UL), Canadian Standards Associ- ation (CSA) or ETL SEMKO (ETL) has approved all products and equipment. e Add protection by installing a new electrical safety device—an arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI)—to detect and stop electrical arcs that can causefires. Arcs are not detected by most breakers and fuses. e Avoid contact with power lines by being aware of the location of powerlines and keeping a distance of at least 10 feet between you and powerlines to avoid arcs. For more. tips, visit www.electrical-safety.org.
