ose rea Safety — How To Make Staying Safe, Smooth Sailing 1This Summer (NAPSA)—Fun in the sun is a lot less likely to give way to an emergency at sea if you follow a few tips on how to reduce your risk of electric shock drowning and commonboating and marina electrical hazards. Boating and Safety Be sure you're familiar with your craft’s electrical system so you can identify and correct any potential hazards. Don’t allow yourself or anyone else to swim near docks. Avoid entering the water when launching or loading your boat. Always maintain a distance of at least 10 feet between your boat and nearby powerlines. eIf you feel a tingle while swimming, the water maybe electrified. Get out as soon as possi- ble, avoiding the use of metal objects such as ladders. eHave your boat’s electrical system inspected and upgraded regularly by a certified marine electrician. eHave Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) installed on your boat and test them monthly. eConsider having Equipment Leakage Circuit Interrupters (ELCI) installed to protect nearby swimmers from potential electric- ity leakage from your boat into surrounding water. Use only shore or marinerated power cords, plugs, recepta- cles and extension cords that have been tested by Underwriters Lab- A few simple precautions with electricity can help keep you afloat when it comes to boating and watersport safety. oratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or ETL SEMKO(ETL). eNever use cords that are frayed or damaged or that have had the prongs removed or altered. Never stand or swim in water when turning off electrical devices or switches. Free Resources The experts on safety at the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) have new Boating and Safety resources that include separate illustrated tip sheets of electrical safety tips for boat operators and marina owners, a reference guide that explains boat and marina electrical safety devices, and a comprehensive toolkit with safety tips and additional information on electric shock drowning. All resources are free for download at www.esfi.org.
