At work, at home, at play, electricity powers our world. Electricity is the most common energy source used today and it's very safe - as long as we remember to treat it with respect. Whether you're using electricity in your yard or in your home, it pays to keep safety top of mind. Read through these important safety tips:
- General Safety Rules
- Look Up Above!
- Protect Yourself - Stay at Least 20 Feet Away
- Caution - Downed Wires
- Teach Your Children
- Know What to Do in an Electrical Emergency
General Safety Rules
- Electricity and water don't mix. If it's raining or the ground is wet, avoid using electric yard tools. Never step into a flooded area if water is in contact with electrical outlets, appliances or cords. Don't use any electrical appliances or touch circuit breakers or fuses when you're wet or standing in water.
- Only plugs or plug guards should be placed in any outlet. Be sure outdoor outlets and outlets near wet areas of the kitchen, bath and laundry room have GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters) to prevent serious shock injuries.
- Make sure tools, appliances and holiday lights are approved for outdoor use. Outdoor tools and appliances should have heavier wiring, special insulation and a three-prong, grounded plug.
- Inspect cords and plugs regularly and replace damaged ones. To prevent damage, pull by the plug -- not the cord, when unplugging an appliance or yard tool.
- Overloading means overheating and that could spell F-I-R-E. Limit the number of appliances plugged into each outlet. Don't exceed the recommended wattage when replacing bulbs in lamps, light fixtures or holiday lighting.
- If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is the right capacity for the tool or appliance with which it is used. Use grounded (three-prong) extension cords for outdoor tools and holiday lighting.
- Never use anything other than a fuse to replace a fuse. Make sure the replacement fuse is the correct amperage.
- Toaster jammed? Hedge trimmer stuck? Always unplug an appliance or tool before cleaning, adjusting or repairing it.
- Use only appliances, tools, lighting and extension cords approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories.
Look Up Above!
Whether you're working or playing outdoors, always remember to look up and all around you.
Whenever you're using a ladder, pool skimmer, tree pruning tool or other long object, watch out for overhead wires. That same rule holds true when installing rooftop antennas and satellite dishes or doing rooftop repair work, too. Be especially careful when working near power lines attached to your house. A metal ladder is lightweight, but it is also conductive and should not be used around electricity. Use a wood or fiberglass ladder instead.
Teach your children not to climb trees that are near overhead wires. Even if the power lines aren't touching the tree, they could touch when more weight is added to the branch. Trees conduct electricity and so do people!
Fly kites and model airplanes in open areas well away from overhead wires, too. Avoid kites with wire, metal or foil parts and don't fly kites or model planes in wet weather. Damp strings and wires conduct electricity.
Protect Yourself - Stay at Least 20 Feet Away
Keep at least 20 feet away from pole-to-pole power lines at all times. Power lines are not insulated in the same way as your household wiring. That's why they're mounted well out of harm's reach or buried in the ground, as the National Electrical Safety Code requires.
Avoid underground lines, too! Find out where power lines and other utilities are buried before you install a fence, deck, mailbox or lamppost. When you excavate, state law requires that you call MISS DIG at least three full working days in advance. A simple phone call to 811 is all it takes. MISS DIG will contact the utilities in your area. At no charge to you, the utilities will mark the approximate locations of their underground lines. For more information on the MISS DIG process, visit the MISS DIG Web site at www.missdig.org.
If you're planning to trim trees, we strongly urge you to consult a professional tree-trimming service. Each year a number of power lines fall because a well-meaning homeowner has dropped a tree or limb on a power line. And each year a number of amateur tree trimmers are seriously or fatally injured because they or the tree limb they are in contact with, touched a power line.
Caution - Downed Wires!
Our power lines and equipment are built to meet rigid state and national safety standards and are safe under normal conditions. But when high winds, heavy icing conditions or severe storms hit, power lines can come down. Never touch a downed power line, or anything it is in contact with - even if there are no sparks. A live wire may whip or sweep through a wide area looking for a ground. A ground is the earth or something touching the earth, like a fence, puddle or even a tree. A live wire that has already found a ground may lie silent but be equally deadly. Call us immediately at 800.477.4747 if you see a downed wire.
And remember to be especially cautious near metal fences after severe weather. Electric current will be strongest where a downed line has touched the fence, but even a connecting fence several backyards away can be energized and just as dangerous.
To safely operate a portable generator, follow all instructions carefully. If you don't have a transfer switch installed, shut off your fuses or main circuit breakers before running a portable generator. This prevents the generator from feeding electricity back into the power lines. Protect repair crews and your neighbors. Backfeed can seriously injure or kill.
Teach Your Children
Kids are naturally curious which can lead to serious electrical accidents. Teach your children to play it safe around electricity.
Inside, use protective plug covers and teach them never to put any object into an electrical outlet. Make sure they understand that water and electricity don't mix.
Outside, remind children not to climb trees near overhead wires, to always fly kites in open areas, and to never, never, never touch a power line. Teach them to stay away from electrical utility equipment, too. They should never attempt to climb transmission towers, utility poles or substation fences. Nor should they play on or near pad-mounted transformers (locked metal cases on cement or fiberglass bases) used for underground wiring.
Know What to Do in An Electrical Emergency
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Downed wires
Never touch anything or anyone that is in contact with a downed wire. Call Detroit Edison immediately at 800.477.4747.
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Downed wire on a vehicle
Stay in your vehicle and wait for help. If you must get out because of fire or other danger, jump clear of the vehicle without touching it and the ground at the same time. Then hop with feet together or shuffle away -- don't run or stride. Electricity spreads out through the ground in ripples, like a stone dropped in water. The voltage is highest in the ring closest to the vehicle and decreases with distance. Hop with feet together or shuffle away so that one foot won't be in a higher voltage zone than another, which could make you a conductor for electricity!
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Electrical shock
Act quickly, but keep yourself out of danger. Never touch a person who is being shocked. If you can do it safely, unplug the appliance or turn off the power. Call for medical help immediately and begin CPR after the victim is cleared from contact.
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Electrical fire
If you can do it safely, turn off the power or unplug the appliance. Never throw water on an electrical fire.
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