Safety

Power tools Electrical Fire Risk | Report Of Elelctrical Accidents | Extension Cord

  Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to severe burns and immediate cardiac arrest. Although it is not known the exact injuries that result from any given amperage, the following table demonstrates this general relationship for a 60-cycle, hand-to-foot shock of one second's duration:

U.S. Department of Labor

Occupational Safety & Health Administration
www.osha.gov

  http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/handpowertools/

University departments shall provide safety shoes, and other foot protection as necessary, to all employees determined to need foot protection by a workplace hazard assessment. The hazard assessment will be performed by the employing department with assistance from EH&S.

A broad range of standard shoe styles will be available for the employee to choose from. The cost of these standard styles will be paid in full by the university for employees. The employee may choose more expensive styles. However, the additional expense will be paid by the employee. Special modifications which are a medical necessity will be paid for by the employer upon presentation of a prescription issued by a medical doctor, osteopath, or podiatrist.
Safety shoes must be replaced when worn beyond repair resulting from normal usage. Shoes which are damaged or worn due to negligence on the part of the employee will be replaced at the expense of the employee. Minor repairs, laces, etc., will also be at the expense of the employee.
Even if safety shoes are not required for certain job classifications, it is the supervisor's responsibility to review the work place and establish minimum safety requirements. This may involve the requirement to wear normal hard-toed shoes rather than safety type steel-toed shoes. As a general rule, going barefoot is not allowed in any work environment at Iowa State University. The appropriateness of wearing sandals must be determined by supervisory personnel and must include an evaluation of possible hazards in the workplace. Advice for minimum safety requirements can be obtained from EH&S (294-5359).
Once it is determined that employees must wear safety foot protection, they will be reprimanded in accordance with University policies for not wearing safety foot protection on the job. Specific employing agencies (Ames Laboratory, federal government, etc.) may have policies with varying requirements

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3. Power tools

Three factors determine the resistance of a substance to the flow of electricity.

• What it is made of.
• Its size.
• Its temperature.
  

Substances with very little resistance to the flow of electrical current are called conductors.
Examples are metals. Substances with such a high resistance that they can be used to prevent the flow of electrical current are called insulators. Examples are glass, porcelain, plastic, and dry wood.

Pure water is a poor conductor of electricity, but small amounts of impurities, such as salt and acid (perspiration contains both), make it a ready conductor.
Therefore, although dry wood is a poor conductor, when saturated with water it becomes a ready conductor. The same is true of human skin.
When skin is dry, it is a poor conductor of electrical current. When it is moist, it readily conducts electricity.
Use extreme caution when working with electricity where there is water in the environment or on the skin.  

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 Electrical Fire Risks

Live Wire Fire Risks

Electric currents carried by wiring, switches, plugs and appliances generate heat. Excessive or uncontrolled heat can start fires. Electrical fires cause about $614 million in property damage per year. Most electrical fires occur in winter months when people spend more time indoors. The threat is particularly great in homes built prior to the 1950s when the electrical wiring didn't always meet today's safety standards.

You need to understand — and respect — the power of electricity and the role it can play in home fires. The chief culprits in most electrical fires are:

• Incorrectly installed wiring.
• Overloaded circuits and extension cords.
• Improper plugs, switches and outlets.
• Misuse and poor maintenance of lighting.

Warning Signs

The following warning signs may indicate electrical problems that could cause a fire. If you experience any of these warning signs in your home, contact a licensed electrician to repair the problem:

• Flickering or dimming lights.
• Switches or outlets that are hot to the touch or emit an acrid odor.
• Discolored cords, outlets and switchplates.
• Repeated blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers.

Keep Home Wiring Systems Safe

Hire a licensed electrician to:

• Inspect a home and make any needed repairs before you purchase it.
• Ensure that any electrical modifications meet existing codes.
• Inspect and repair outlets and switches.
• Inspect aluminum wiring in homes built from 1965 to 1973 because there have been problems with this wiring used in wall sockets, switches and cable connections.

Fuses and Circuit Breakers

• Be sure to replace fuses or circuit breakers with ones of the correct size.
• Have a qualified, licensed electrician repair any problems.

Cords, Outlets and Plugs

Have Fire Sense by taking these precautions when using plugs and electrical cords:

• Don't run cords under carpeting, bedding or other combustible materials, or across doorways or frequently traveled areas.
• Discard frayed or broken cords and never splice two cords together.
• Don't overload outlets or use extension cords in place of outlets because these unsafe methods create too much heat and can easily cause fires. Call an electrician to install additional outlets as necessary.
• Be sure plugs fit snugly in outlets to prevent shock and excess heat.

Lighting

Combustible materials can ignite easily when they are exposed to hot bulbs. Keep the following tips in mind when using light fixtures:

• Purchase lamps and fixtures listed with Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an independent, not-for-profit safety testing and certification organization.
• Use the right bulb wattage for all lamps and fixtures.
• Position lamps away from open windows where strong breezes can blow draperies onto hot light bulbs.

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Electrical Safety Page

The basic objective here will be to provide more than just the usual Links to other Websites. Simply listing Links to other Websites without explanation or description would not be very Helpful or Inspiring. With the seemingly infinite amount of information on the Internet it is often difficult to find what you need to know. With that in mind we will present you with some pertinent information and attempt to Organize or Categorize any other external Links. As this is such an Important Issue, any suggestions or contributions, (articles, Photos, Links etc.) will be greatly appreciated. We will try and present the Information and Categorized Links in an easily digestible format, which may change from time to time. Please bear with this. One of the greatest contributions you can make is Participation, Use the Message Boards, and Suggestion Box. Help to make this a place where people can get answers.

Report Of Electrical Accidents

From the media we often hear of accidents, tragic deaths and injuries, and costly events that result when an electrical product is faulty or is improperly used.
The following are reports taken from newspaper clippings or other sources.
The details in the articles vary and there may be a considerable amount of uncertainty with respect to the accuracy of the technical details. Both the history and usage of equipment being blamed for an incident are generally unknown and unreported such as previous repairs which may have altered the original construction, the need of repairs, the condition of use, environment, age, or whether the equipment was being used within the design specifications of the manufacturers.

Electrical Cord

A 16-year-old boy survived the fire that killed seven members of his family and burned three homes.
According to his later report, he awoke to find a pile of clothes on fire. The clothes were lying on an extension cord that ran from an electrical outlet near the family washing machine to a clock radio and light.
"The boy added that the extension cord would not work from time to time," the fire investigator said. "We're also examining the clock radio and utility light it was connected to."
The fire department captain said the fire might have been smoldering beneath the home for more than an hour before igniting the home. A next-door neighbor said he stepped outside his home twice before the fire began because he had smelled smoke. Remains of a smoke detector were not found in the debris.

Nailed Extension Cord

An extension cord nailed to a teenager's bedroom wall caught fire, causing $10,000 in damage to a home.
The house fire began about 10 a.m. Sunday. One of the family's sons had nailed an extension cord to the wall to install a "black light" in the basement bedroom. He nailed the cord between its two internal wires, causing it to generate heat over several weeks, and finally catch on fire, fire officials said.

The fire began while the teens played games upstairs with friends. The boys broke a basement window and fed an outside hose into the bedroom, putting out the flames.
The fire damaged a bed, television, and wall, and caused smoke damage throughout the home.
Fire officials warn homeowners never to attach extension cords to a wall with nails.

Editor's note: NEC® Section 400-8 prohibits the use of flexible cords where attached to building surfaces.

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Overloaded Cord or Outlet Suspected

An electrical cord or outlet overloaded with Christmas lights probably sparked a fast-moving fire that trapped and killed a 7-year-old boy and a 5-year-old boy. Both died from smoke inhalation.

Fire officials said their preliminary investigation showed an overloaded or worn outlet or possibly a faulty extension cord caused the fire. Investigators said the small frame house had no smoke detectors.

Two adults in the house, aided by neighbors, battled the intense heat and smoke to save four other young children but could not reach the last two boys.

The stepfather of one of the boys discovered the flames around 3 a.m. near a living room electrical outlet connected to an extension cord running to the outside Christmas lights, fire officials said.

Family members said they didn't remember whether the lights were on when they went to bed but told fire officials that they usually left them burning.

A fire official recommends using only extension cords specified for outdoor use for external lights. Extension cords or outlets that look worn or that spark should be replaced.

A fire department spokesman said, "Inspect them (cords) regularly, and if there is ever any question about a cord, throw it out."

Faulty Electrical Wiring

A single-story frame house fire shortly after midnight left one man dead of smoke inhalation and his house heavily damaged.
The fire chief said the fire was caused by a short in the electrical wiring. Heavy fire was coming out of the rear of the house when crews arrived on the scene. Crews were on the scene for three or four hours.

Electric Meter May Have Sparked Fire

A fire began in the basement of a 3-4 story building shortly after 9 a.m., and took firefighters the rest of the day to bring under control. Fifteen firefighters received minor injuries fighting the blaze.

The fire commissioner said the fire may have been sparked by an electric meter in the basement.

The fire that gutted the building was brought under control at 6 p.m. Three hours later the building collapsed, nearly crushing four firefighters, an official said. The collapse also brought down the side wall of the building next door.

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Electrical Short in Extension Cord

An electrical short in an extension cord between a six-outlet power strip and a television set caused a fatal fire, concluded fire department investigators.

The 83-year-old resident of the home died of smoke inhalation.
A fire investigation report indicated that the extension cord had been run under two decorative metal plates, which were under the back two legs of a chair in the room. The metal plates caused a short in the cord, which created an electrical arc that ignited the surrounding area.

Extension cords should never be covered with furniture, carpets, or other materials, according to fire safety experts.
The fire was reported by a neighbor who noticed flames in the home's living room

Electrocution at Poolside

A 47-year-old woman died after she was electrocuted, fire officials said.

The woman was in the family's pool with her daughter in the evening. She got out of the pool to unplug a filter and was electrocuted, said a fire department lieutenant.
Her daughter began screaming, and a neighbor called for help. CPR was performed on the scene. The woman was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Heating Unit Shorted Out

A newspaper circulation truck driver alerted the fire department when he saw smoke in a home garage while delivering newspapers. The family was not at home.

The 3:55 a.m. fire was caused by a heating unit that shorted out in a dog kennel behind the garage, the home owner said. Losses were estimated to be $25,000 for contents and $25,000 in damages to the structure.

The home owner said the fire would have consumed his house in another five minutes. Fire was making its way to the rafters when the blaze was extinguished. The home sustained considerable smoke damage. Fortunately, the family's pets and vehicles were not in the garage, he added.

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Toaster Oven Causes Fire

A mother and her two children were left homeless by a fire that gutted their apartment.

According to the fire chief, the fire was reported at 5 p.m. by a neighbor who spotted the smoke. The fire started in the kitchen area with a toaster oven. While the fire was contained to the kitchen area, the entire apartment was damaged by smoke, heat, and water. There was a working smoke detector inside.

No one was at home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. The fire was stopped before it spread to other apartments in the complex.

The fire chief said the fire originated in a toaster oven that was left plugged in long after the occupant went to work at her second shift job. She left the home around 1 p.m. and said the toaster oven does not have an on or off switch. It is turned on when plugged in and off when unplugged.

The fire chief said that was a dangerous appliance and said he checked local stores and found that those toaster ovens are no longer sold. He said now the appliances either come with an on or off switch or a heat sensor automatic turn-off, which is the safest appliance.

Electrical Heater

An early morning fire Sunday gutted a home and killed an elderly woman and her son.

Their house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene about 4 a.m., authorities said.

Investigators said it appeared the fire was ignited by an electrical heater placed too close to a bed and the wall of a first floor bedroom, according to a detective of the city police department's bomb and arson unit.

Electrocution

A 41-year-old man was electrocuted while working under a sink, said the sheriff's department. The man was killed when he apparently came into contact with an electrical circuit while working at the home.

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Extension Cord Ignites Fire

According to fire officials, a fire which heavily damaged a home in the early morning was caused by an overheated extension cord. The contents of the home were destroyed by the heavy smoke and high heat, but the house itself seemed to be repairable.

A fire department official said the two alarm blaze at the 1-1/2 story, single family home broke out shortly before 3 a.m. and none of the four occupants of the home were injured - but the family's dog died in the fire.

The official said a washing machine in the basement was connected to an extension cord that was not manufactured to support the amount of electrical current needed by the appliance. This high current level caused the cord to overheat and spark a flame that ignited combustible materials in the basement which quickly spread throughout the home. The fire official said that the burn concentration was around the outlet where the cord was plugged in, spreading flames up the wall to the ceiling, which is the floor of the main level of the house.

The official declined to speculate whether the cord was faulty or if it overheated because of too much current.

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Space Heater Possible Cause of Fire

The fire that claimed the lives of three young boys probably was sparked by a space heater in their bedroom, a medical examiner's report said.

The burned bodies were discovered on the floor of a 6-by-8-foot bedroom, next to springs from what had been a twin bed and near a space heater in the doorway. The heater was connected to an extension cord running to the basement, the report said.

Several space heaters were placed throughout the house because the gas had been turned off for three to four months.
The boys' aunt who was inside the home called 911. Fire trucks arrived in 2 minutes and 57 seconds.
The smoke detector in the kitchen had no batteries, officials said.

Extension Cords

A fire that gutted a home is believed to have been caused by extension cords.

A fire marshal reported that they could not make a final determination but were comfortable with saying the fire's origin was temporary extension cords under the bed. He added that there was also storage under the bed which caused further wear on the cords.

Although fire marshals determined that the electrical cords were the source of ignition, the presence of several cords prevented them from identifying the one responsible. All the cords were badly burned.

Thank you to all who have submitted clippings of electrical fires and accidents. Many use these reports to stress the importance of electrical safety and proper electrical installation in accordance with the National Electrical Code®.

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2004