Your Home: Safe From Electrical Hazards? (NAPSA)—Most people would be shocked if they knew the potential danger posed by electrical haz- ards hidden in the walls of their homes or lying unseen on their erounds. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 400 people are electrocuted in the United States every year. To help ensure that your homeis truly safe, here’s a checklist from the Leviton Institute: Don’t Overload Outlets: With powerstrips and surge pro- tectors, it’s all too easy to add more appliances to an outlet than it was designed to handle. By overloading circuits, you can create a fire hazard. Outlets and Switches: Replace any outlet or switch that has broken parts or cracks, feels warm to the touch or has plugs that hangloose. Power Cords and Extension Cords: Examine powerand extension cords for fraying or cracking. Replace taped-over cords or those showing wear. Never run cords or extensions under carpets, rugs or furniture, where damage might be hidden. Use of Power Tools: Don’t use powertools, even if they are properly grounded, in wet or damp spots. Install GFCIs and Test Them Monthly: GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters) have prevented hundreds of electrocu- tions and untold numbers of injuries since the early 1970s. The National Electrical Code requires EN A ground fault circuit interrupter such as the one shown above can savelives. side, where they should be equipped with weatherproof cov- ers. Testing them is simple. Just follow these three easy steps: 1. Plug a lamporradio into the GFCI. Turn on the lampor radio. 2. Press the TEST button. Lampor radio should gooff. If the lamp or radio doesn’t go off, the GFCI is damaged or was miswired during installation. Please call a qualified electrician. 3. Press the RESET button. Lamp or radio should come back on. If the lamp or radio doesn’t come back on, the GFCI is damaged and must be replaced. Call a qualified electrician. If you are not sure that your GFCIis testing and resetting prop- GFCI-equipped outlets in rooms erly for any reason, play it safe and call a qualified electrician. Be sure rooms, garages, laundry rooms and crawl spaces, and in outdoor yearly habit and hire a licensed with a water source or damp ground such as kitchens, bath- locations such as hot tubs or pool- to make your safety inspection a electrician to conduct an in-depth inspection every 10 years.
