Electrical Child-Proofing and Safety Tips
The electricity in your home can be easily accessible for children if not carefully prevented. Appliances, outlets and power lines can all cause electric shocks, which can, in turn, cause lasting health problems or even death in some cases. Electrical hazards and taking unnecessary risks can also cause dangerous fires.
To prevent injury and other accidents, parents must childproof their homes and teach their children about safety around electricity. At Custom Electrical Services , we understand how important your family’s safety is, so we’ve rounded up a few tips regarding indoor and outdoor electrical safety that you can teach your children.
Indoor Electrical Safety Tips for Children
Outlets
Do not allow your children to stick toys, fingers, or other objects into electrical outlets or sockets, as this can result in receiving an electric shock. As your children get older, explain why you have this rule. In the meantime, childproof all outlets with plastic caps or tamper-resistant receptacles so your children cannot access any exposed plugs.
As a parent, refrain from overloading an outlet with too many appliances. Doing this can cause an oversupply in the circuit and cause a fire. Help your children understand this rule as well.
Cords
Keep your children from playing with or chewing on cords, whether plugged or unplugged. Teach your children not to unplug anything by yanking on the cord. Instead, pull it out from the base. Pulling on the cord can cause damage to the wires leading to fire or electrical shock.
If a cord has broken or exposed wires, don’t plug it in. Teach your children that frayed or worn-out cords can be a safety hazard. Finally, keep cords and wires tucked away as much as possible to avoid tripping and to remove the temptation to play with them.
Electrical Safety and Water
Teach your children that water and electricity do not mix. They should never touch anything electrical, such as light switches, cords, electric appliances, and outlets, with wet hands or body parts. Do not use electric appliances near or around water sources like sinks, bathtubs, or showers.
Appliances
Always supervise your children while they are using an electrical appliance. Make sure they know not to put metal objects into a toaster because it can cause an electric shock, that they shouldn’t put metal in the microwave, and so on.
Outdoor Electrical Safety Tips
Power Lines
Do not allow your children to touch power lines or utility poles with their bodies or objects—no climbing or hanging on utility poles or on trees that stand nearby power lines. If your children play with kites, drones, remote control airplanes or anything else that can be airborne, teach them to do so far away from power lines. Make sure your children know not to touch a downed power line. Instead, they should come to you immediately so you can call 911.
Electrical Substations and Transformers
Teach your children about electrical substations and underground pad mount transformers. They should never go into an electrical substation and avoid fencing around the station. Make sure your children know to look for and obey signs that say “Keep Out,” “High-Voltage,” or “Danger” around utility poles, substations, and transformer boxes.
Storm safety
As with indoor electrical safety, water and electricity don’t mix. Teach your children never to go swimming during a storm with thunder and lightning. Lightning often hits bodies of water which can cause electrical shock or death if you are in the water.
Teaching your children about safety surrounding electricity within your home and the outdoors will keep them and your home safe. Start with clear rules and standards surrounding electricity from a young age so that they grow up understanding the dangers and consequences of improper electricity use. Finally, ensure your home is safe from potential electrical hazards by contacting Custom Electrical Services to take care of any electrical problems.
