According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), approximately 40,000 residential fires claim more than 350 lives annually. Electrical fires are most often attributed to problems with electric cords, plugs, lamps, light fixtures, switches or outlets.
Help protect yourself and your family from electricity-related injuries.
- Check your home electrical system for problems
- Avoid adding extra plugs in attachments which could overload outlets or extension cords
- Examine electrical cords to make sure they aren’t frayed, damaged or placed under rugs, carpets or in doorways
- Always use recommended wattage light bulbs in light fixtures and lamps
- Consider installing ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) in areas that have the potential to be exposed to water
- One of the most important precautions you can take is to regularly test your smoke detectors and to replace smoke detector batteries annually