Cultivate Safety this Spring

May 9, 2024

It’s important to practice our core value of Safety all year long, but as the seasons change, so do the safety hazards. Before beginning those improvement projects that have been waiting all winter, take a moment to identify potential exposures and review electrical devices – including tools and appliances – to make sure they are ready for another season of use.

Follow these tips to help reduce your exposure to electrical hazards:

Remember to Stop. Look. Live.

If you are unsure whether an activity or a piece of equipment poses a safety risk, you should:

  • STOP what you’re doing to consider your personal safety before working or playing around power lines or electrical equipment.
  • LOOK around for potential hazards and ways you might come into contact with electrical equipment and identify a way to avoid the hazard.
  • LIVE and prevent serious injury or death by taking precautions to avoid accidental contact with electrical equipment. There is nothing more important than your safety.

More safety information is available at www.firstenergycorp.com/publicsafety.

Indoors

  • Perform a system check – Have a licensed electrician inspect your home’s electrical system to ensure it’s in good working order and meets current codes. Flickering lights, sparks, non-functioning outlets and tripping circuits may be symptoms of a more serious issue.
  • Inspect power cords – Throw away electrical items that have frayed or damaged power cords.
  • Keep away from water – Install ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) on outlets near water sources and never use electrical appliances or tools close to water or with wet hands.
  • Don’t overload circuits – Plug only one high-wattage appliance – such as a coffee maker, toaster, iron or space heater – into an outlet at a time to avoid overloading the circuit.
  • Practice outlet safety – Only insert electrical plugs into outlets and cover or cap outlets that are not in use. Teach kids to never stick their fingers or any objects into electrical outlets or appliances with openings, such as toasters.
  • Check the breaker – Turn off power at the breaker before working on electrical appliances or the wiring in your home.

Outdoors

  • Stay away from power lines – Keep yourself and anything you are touching – including ladders, tree trimming equipment, kites, metallic balloons and flying toys – at least 10 feet away from neighborhood power lines and at least 100 feet from high-voltage transmission lines.
  • Report downed wires – If you see a downed power line, stay at least 30 feet away and call 911 immediately.
  • Call Before You Dig – Call 811 before starting any home excavation project (e.g., planting trees and shrubs, installing fences and mailboxes) to have underground utilities in the area marked. It’s required by law and the service is free.
  • Review Tool Ratings – Make sure electrical tools and appliances are rated for outdoor use and do not use them close to water or in the rain.

To view more outdoor safety tips – including guidelines for operating power tools and maintaining outdoor lighting – visit Outdoor Electrical Safety on the FirstEnergy website.