National Electrical Safety Month

The month of May marks National Electrical Safety Month. During this month, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) aims to raise awareness on electrical hazards and safety best practices.

According to the latest statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, there were 47,700 fire incidents in the U.S. caused by electrical failure in 2011. The fires cause 1,570 injuries, 418 deaths and damages to the tune of $1.4 billion. Overloaded electrical circuits are a common cause of electrical fires, a risk that can be avoided by not straining electrical systems.

Image credit: esfi.org

To raise awareness about preventing such incidents, ESFI will spend the month of May educating the public on how to use electricity safely. The campaign will feature a comprehensive set of resources that can be used to spread the word about electrical safety around the community. The resources will include an extensive collection of fact sheets and media outreach content to reach as many people as possible. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Organization (OSHA), approximately 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries can be prevented each year when staff adhere to proper lockout/tagout procedures. 

This month, workplaces can strengthen their safety program by training employees on electrical safety. Some areas to focus on include:

• Properly shutting down equipment using the right stopping procedures
• Locating and isolating equipment from all energy sources
• Safely releasing stored electrical energy in machines
• Turning off all switches and other controls with the locks and tags assigned to them

Ideally, all homes, schools and workplaces will be involved in an activity to mark National Electrical Safety Month. Let's all play a part in preventing electrical disasters.