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Closet lights

Some older or smaller homes have closets with a single incandescent light bulb. You know the kind, with a simple pull chain. These bulbs give off a lot of heat when turned on and can be dangerous if the closet is littered with junk. Old papers, cotton clothing, and other flammable items could catch fire if too close to the bulb for a long period of time. Keep your closets clean and use recessed fluorescent bulbs or replace them with an energy-efficient LED bulb.

Dust

Clusters of debris can easily catch fire if near a heat source, such as an electrical outlet or floor heater. Make sure you dust on a regular basis, not just to keep your home clean, but to avoid the danger of a fire.

Animals

Household pets can easily knock over candles. Some can even turn on the stove accidentally. Be observant of your pet’s actions. You also need to watch for other destructive animals, such as rats or mice that can chew through electrical wires.

Oily rags

Think twice before tossing that oily rag in the corner of your garage after you’re done with your project. Wet oil on the rag can produce heat, so hang or lay them out so they can dry completely. Then submerge them in water and keep in a safe storage bin.

Sunlight

Though rare, if the sun hits a window, vase, jar, or other glass item at a very precise angle, the light and radiating heat can cause a fire. Avoid putting glass items on windowsills or in direct sunlight.

Laptops

Electronics can get very hot if not properly ventilated. Keep laptops on top of a desk or a mat specifically designed for computers. Try to avoid using a laptop on soft surfaces like a couch or bed for extended periods of time.

Dishwasher

Electric appliances are one of the most common causes of house fires, but most people think of ovens or stoves as the culprit, not dishwashers. They do generate heat and water can drip out onto the appliance’s wires. Always make sure the dishwasher is operating correctly and safely before use.

Toaster

Again, appliances are a common causes of fires, but crumbs and dust that collects in the bottom of a toaster is a less obvious hazard. Clean it out every once in a while by flipping it over and shaking out the crumbs and built-up dust. The heat generated every time you use the toaster can ignite those scraps and the danger only increases with every use.

Batteries

Nine-volt batteries, specifically. Their positive and negative terminals are located on the same side, so the likelihood of both terminals touching a metal object at the same time and producing heat is higher than other types of batteries. Store the nine-volts in safe containers or bags. You could also cover the terminals with duct or electrical tape.

Matches/lighters

Stuffed in a cluttered drawer, matches and lighters can easily ignite if rubbed against an object the wrong way. Store them in a safe place, away from the clutter and keep out of reach of children, who may not know any better and light one of them accidentally.

Of course you should always make sure your smoke alarms are on and working properly and batteries should be replaced twice a year.

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Avoid dangerous dryer fires with the following tips:

Make sure your dryer is installed by a professional.

Make sure the outlet can handle the load of a dryer. An overloaded electrical outlet can cause blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers.

Read the manufacturers’ instructions and care manuals.

Clean the lint filter before and/or after each load of laundry. If lint builds up, it will block the flow of air. If your clothes are still damp at the end of a cycle, or it seems to take longer to dry your clothes, your screen or exhaust duct might be blocked.

Dryers should always vent hot air outside, not into an attic or crawl space.

Clean other areas where lint can build up, such as the back of the dryer and underneath the lint trap. Lint is extremely flammable.

Make sure your dryer is far enough away from the wall. You can crush the venting material if you place the dyer right against the wall.

Clean lint out of the vent pipe and exhaust duct every few months. If there’s a blockage, you may need to disconnect the exhaust duct from the dyer. Just remember to reconnect when you’re finished cleaning.

If you prefer, you can have your dryer cleaned by a professional. It will reduce the fire hazard, increase its efficiency, and prolong its lifespan.

Make sure the venting system behind the dryer isn’t damaged. Your exhaust duct also shouldn’t be too long or contain too many sharp bends and curves to reach the outside of your home. If it does, use a dryer duct booster.

Outside dampers should be free of animal nests, debris, and protected from the elements.

Don’t use plastic, vinyl, or aluminum foil venting materials, as they can more easily trap lint and are more susceptible to crushing or kinks. A metal duct will provide maximum air flow.

Gas-powered dryers should be inspected on a regular basis to make sure there isn’t a gas leak.

Keep the area around the dryer clear of items capable of burning.

Don’t overload your dryer.

Don’t dry anything that contains an excessive amount of foam, rubber, or plastic.

Don’t dry items that have come into contact with flammable materials such as gasoline. If you do, make sure to wash it multiple times to get rid of as much of the volatile chemical as possible and dry on a very low heat setting. But it’s best to air-dry these items.

Turn off dryer when you leave home or are sleeping.

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According to the National Fire Protection Association, United States fire departments responded to an annual average of 860 home structure fires that were started by holiday decorations and an additional 210 home structure fires that were started by Christmas trees between 2009-2013.

Below are two of ESFI’s great referrals to stay safe this holiday season.

Holiday Fire Prevention

Avoid the 12 Dangers of Christmas

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Why do I need it? Lightning can cause considerable damage to a structure and can even cause injury or death to a person if it cannot find a safe path to the ground. In the event of a strike, lightning will use any available conductor to find a path to the ground including electrical lines, phone, cable, computers, water pipes, or even the building itself. It will jump from object to object in the structure through side-flashes, causing fires or explosions. Electronics and appliances are also at risk of malfunctioning if a building is hit with lightning.

What are the odds of a lightning strike? There are satellites that monitor lightning activity to provide charts and statistics. At any given time, there are about 2,000 thunderstorms happening around the world. Earth encounters 100 lightning flashes per second and the United States experiences more than 40 million lightning strikes each year.

Won’t the lightning protection system attract lightning? No, but it also can’t prevent a lightning strike. It basically intercepts the lightning strike and provides a safe path to the ground for the electrical current. Lightning is unpredictable and will strike anywhere it pleases, whether you have protection or not. Having taller buildings or large trees around doesn’t matter, lightning can strike any low-lying home or structure and even the ground. Side-flashes often occur when lightning strikes nearby, so even if your structure isn’t hit directly, lightning protection can prevent damage from these side-flashes.

Do all buildings need lightning protection? Few structures are required to have lightning protection, but any type of home or building can have it installed. Many well-known attractions are fitted with lightning protection, such as The White House, the Statue of Liberty, NASA, the Department of Energy, and many more. One of the most famous examples of lightning protection success is the Empire State Building in New York City, which is struck by lightning about 100 times every year. Other structures that typically have lightning protection include schools, hospitals, and airports.

Does it need to be maintained? Lightning protection should last a lifetime, though routine inspections every few years are required. If there are any renovations, additions, or changes to your home or building then the system should be checked in case it’s in need of updates.

Who can install it? Only someone who is highly specialized in installing this type of equipment. Lightning rods have their own NFPA standards that need to be met. In-depth training and knowledge of multiple codes is necessary. If lightning protection is improperly installed, it certainly won’t do what it’s supposed to and can be incredibly dangerous.

Is it expensive? It’s difficult to estimate how much a lightning protection system will cost as it varies depending on size, location, construction, and other factors of the building.

What does a lightning protection system look like? Rods are placed in intervals on the highest and most exposed parts of a home or building. They become the most likely point where lightning will strike. Those rods are connected to conductor cables that run along the tops and edges of a roof and down the building that provide a safe path to the ground rod, which is buried deep into the earth around the protected structure. Modern lightning rods are much smaller than they used to be and can be installed to blend in with architectural features. Design professionals can even review protection plans prior to construction to find the best way to hide the system and maintain the aesthetics of a building.

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• Of the approximate 180 related to consumer products, large appliances are responsible for 10 percent.
• Electrocutions from wiring hazards, including damaged or exposed wiring and household wiring, totaled about 20 percent.
• Ladders contacting power lines caused nine percent of electrocutions; in another five percent of deaths, victims contacted the high power lines.
• Power tools were responsible for another nine percent of deaths.
• Landscaping, gardening, and farming equipment cause 67 percent of electrocutions each year.

Data from the National Safety Council indicates that electrical hazards in the workplace cause nearly one fatality every day.

• Annually, electrical hazards are listed as the cause of about 4,000 injuries.
• While only a small portion of electrical incidents occur on the job, they’re far more likely to be fatal.
• Electricity ranks sixth among all causes of occupational injury in the United States.
• Before the installation of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs), which de-energize a circuit when they detect a ground fault, nearly 800 people died annually from household electrocutions. Now, less than 200 people die annually from household electrocutions.
• Twenty-five percent of U.S. consumers don’t understand the purpose of their GFCIs.
• More than 25 percent of consumers don’t know that GFCIs can help prevent electrocution.
• Nearly one-half of U.S. families never test their GFCIs.
• Among those who routinely test their GFCIs, none do so according to safety recommendations—at least one per month and after storms.

Electrocutions don’t tell the entire story. Electricity is the cause of more than 140,000 fires each year, resulting in 400 deaths, 4,000 injuries, and $1.6 billion in property damage. Total economic losses due to electrical hazards are estimated to exceed $4 billion annually.

Although Electrical Safety Month only happens once per year, remember we’re exposed to electricity every day so respect it, stay safe, and stay alive.

Nickle Safety … It’s How We’re Wired

Mike Anderson, CHST

Safety Director

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Here are 10 things you can do to stay safe:

1. 1. Keep dry. Never touch electrical equipment/cords with wet hands, feet, or clothes, and never use electrical equipment near water.
2. 2. Avoid overloads. For example, don’t plug six cords into an outlet that’s only capable of handling two.
3. 3. Repair or replace damaged cords. Damaged cords should only be repaired by a qualified electrician. It’s safer to replace the damaged one with a new one.
4. 4. Unplug items immediately after you use them. That way short circuits or failure to turn an item off won’t cause damage.
5. 5. If you smell something burning, turn the item off immediately and unplug it from the outlet. This could be a sign that an appliance plug is overheating and starting to melt.
6. 6. Cut the item off and unplug it immediately if it’s getting warm. You’ll also want to turn off the circuit breaker (found in the breaker box) to this outlet. Check to see if there’s any damage to the outlet and/or plug.
7. 7. Purchase a special fire extinguisher just for electrical fires.
8. 8. Turn off the circuit breaker when working on any switches, plugs, outlets, or fixtures.
9. 9. Do not unplug a cord from the other side of the room.
10. 10. Install outlet covers if you have small children in your home.

While these are some great tips to keep you safe, we were only given one set of eyes, ears, hands, and feet, so take time to protect them. And we only have one heart, which wasn’t designed to receive an electrical shock, so please be careful. If you’re not comfortable working with electricity or unsure of the extent of your electrical knowledge, leave it to the professionals. The life you save may be your own.

Nickle is here to help if you’re in need of service or simply have a question. Feel free to contact us here.

Nickle Safety – It’s How We’re Wired

Mike Anderson, CHST

Safety Director

The post How to be safe around electricity appeared first on Nickle Electrical Companies.

The NFPA 70E is a national consensus safety standard published by the NFPA primarily to assist OSHA in preparing electrical safety standards. Federal OSHA has not incorporated it into the Code of Federal Regulations.

OSHA bases its electrical safety standards on the comprehensive information found in NFPA 70E. It focuses on protecting people and identifies requirements that are considered necessary to provide a workplace free of electrical hazards. The OSHA regulations and NFPA standards work so well together it’s been said that OSHA provides the “shall” while NFPA provides the “how.”

For example, OSHA mandates that all services to electrical equipment be done in a de-energized state. Working live (or working in an energized state) can only be done under special circumstances. NFPA 70E defines those special circumstances and sets rigid electrical safety limits on voltage exposures, work zone boundary requirements, and necessary personal protective equipment.

In 2015, the NFPA released the tenth edition of the 70E standard for electrical safety in the workplace based on the 2014 NFPA 70 (NEC) Code. The previous edition was published in 2012 and there are significant differences between the two.

The 2015 edition reflects a major shift in how electrical risk is evaluated. In previous editions, risk was established by performing a shock and arc flash analysis that would quantify the risk. Moving forward, the new edition streamlines the requirements for arc and shock protection and outlines revised program requirements with emphasis on risk assessment—now called a flash risk assessment. This means the potential for harm is now based on the combination of severity and the likelihood of failure. The flash risk assessment addresses hierarchy of controls, such as electrical installation (engineering controls) and work practices.

Below are highlights of the remaining changes from the 2012 to the 2015 edition.

1. Safety-related maintenance requirements were added to clarify that training and auditing are equally important.

2. All references to bare-hand work were removed.

3. A new definition of “energized electrical work permit” was added and the definition of “qualified person” was revised.

4. Prohibited approach boundary was deleted.

5. An electrical safety program must now include elements that consider condition of maintenance.

6. Audits of field work must be performed at intervals not to exceed one year.

7. The location, sizing, and application of temporary protective grounding equipment must be identified.

8. New requirements clarifying where normal operation of electric equipment is permitted were added.

9. Clarification was added that either the incident energy analysis method or arc flash PPE category method be used on the same piece of equipment for the selection of PPE, but not both.

10. Labels must be updated when the arc flash hazard risk assessment identifies a change that renders the existing label inaccurate.

11. Additional text now provides the user with a boundary to the existing requirements in 130.6(D).

12. A new “yes or no” format task-based table was added to determine when arc flash PPE is required.*

13. A new arc flash PPE category/equipment-based table was added for determining the arc flash PPE category.

14. Hazard/risk category 0 from Table 130.7(C)(16) will now be referred to as PPE category.

15. The criterion for employees to use insulated tools or handling equipment has been changed from the limited approach boundary to restricted approach boundary.

16. Barricades cannot be placed closer than the limited approach boundary.

17. An electrician must perform a risk assessment if the likelihood of contacting energized electrical lines or parts exists.

18. There are clarifications that the equipment owner or designated representative is responsible for maintenance of the electrical equipment and documentation.

19. New maintenance program for test instruments must include functional verification.

20. Risk assessment must be performed prior to any work on a battery system.

*NFPA added the new task-based table (referenced in #12 above) to utilize a simple yes-or-no format to determine if arc flash PPE is required. If yes, the new equipment-based table (referenced in #13 above) is then used to determine the flash PPE category (previously known as hazard risk category) and arc flash boundary. Finally, to determine PPE needed, the newly modified category table referenced in #14 above is used.

Nickle Safety – It’s How We’re Wired

Mike Anderson, CHST

Safety Director

The post OSHA Standards & NFPA 70E Regulation Changes appeared first on Nickle Electrical Companies.

Anderson will again write weekly posts throughout the month to celebrate and educate about electrical safety. Let’s take a look at some of last year’s themes.

Do’s and Don’ts. Mike covered generic tips for avoiding electrical hazards. In the United States, electricity is the cause of more than 140,000 fires each year, resulting in 400 deaths, 4,000 injuries, and $1.6 billion in property damage. Total economic losses due to electrical hazards are estimated to exceed $4 billion annually. Following his 10 safety tips could save your life.

Behavior-Based Safety. This applies the science of behavioral changes to real world problems. It focuses on what people do, why they do it, and a research-supported strategy is applied to improve what people do. Nickle implemented a BBS program last year and it has been a major contribution to safety excellence.

Benefits of a Safety Committee. Mike covered five elements of creating a successful safety committee within your organization. It covers setting goals, appointing a leader, and including a diverse group of members.

Don’t Ignore Near-Misses. According to the National Safety Council, 75% of all accidents are preceded by one or more near-misses, minor incidents, or close calls. With effective training, these behaviors and near-misses can be diminished.

Are there any safety topics you hope Mike discusses in the coming weeks?

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