Customer Safety

Empowering Your Safety: Our Commitment to Customers. Your safety is important to us. Follow our simple electrical safety tips to keep yourself and your family safe at home.
In this episode of JPS Hot Seat, we pulled our customers into a very important conversation on safety & electricity. What are some unsafe practices we've normalized in our households? Do we know what to do if someone is being electrocuted? How do we keep our children safe from electric shocks? Let's break it down: HOW WE STAY SAFE 4 We have regular safety trainings and meetings. All team members MUST wear their safety gears or Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). We also have job briefings to identify and plan for possible risks. HOW YOU STAY SAFE 4 Avoid overloading outlets with too many plugs. Keep electrical devices and cords awav from water sources to prevent electrocution and short circuits. Regularly check electrical cords for damage, fraying, or exposed wires, and replace them if needed. Here is what vou do if someone is being electrocuted: ENSURE YOUR SAFETY. Before approaching the person, make sure that you are not in danger of being electrocuted vourself. CALL FOR HELP. Dial emergency services immediately to request professional medical assistance. CUT THE POWER SOURCE. If it is safe to do so, turn off the power source that is causing the electrocution. (switching off a circuit breaker or unplugging the device) DO NOT TOUCH THE PERSON. Avoid direct contact with the person if they are still in contact with the electrical source. Touching them could transfer the electrical current to you.

JPS HOT SEAT - Safety & Electricity

Safety and electricity is a BIG deal! We put a few of our customers in the Hot Seat for this episode and we were SHOCKED (no pun intended) Tune in to hear their stories and see our reaction.

Watch More Hot Seat

Electrical safety for Customers

Your safety is important to us. With great power comes great responsibility.

Follow our simple electrical safety tips to keep yourself and your family safe at home.

Safety & Electricity At Home

Electrical panels, fuses, and outlets

  • If a fuse blows, turn off all appliances and lights that are on the circuit before changing the fuse.

 

  • Use a flashlight. Don’t try to replace a fuse in the dark.

 

  • Replace a fuse with another that has an identical rating.

 

  • Loose fuses can overheat. If you have plug-type fuses, you should periodically check to make sure they’re snug.

 

  • Never replace a fuse with a coin or other metal object.

 

  • Use ground fault circuit interrupters on all outlets located outdoors.

Cords, extension cords, and plugs

  • Pull the plug, not the cord, when disconnecting an electrical device.

 

  • Never remove a plug when your hands are wet, or if you’re touching a metal object.

 

  • The third prong of a plug exists for safety reasons. Do not break it off or bypass it.

 

  • Keep cords away from sources of heat and water.

 

  • Cords and plugs that show signs of wear or damage need to be replaced. Stop using them immediately.

 

  • Do not place a cord under a carpet, through a doorway, or anywhere that it could be stepped on.

 

  • Coil up excess cord length and keep the coil intact with plastic ties or Velcro straps.

 

  • Use a certified power bar if you need to plug multiple items into an outlet.

Electrical devices, appliances, and power tools

  • Unplug the toaster before prying out that stuck toast.

 

  • Limiting the number of devices connected to a single outlet.

 

  • Unplug your electrical gadgets when they’re not in use.

 

  • Keep your electrical devices away from sources of water.

 

  • Using a dedicated circuit for sensitive electronic equipment; avoid plugging your computer into the same circuit that runs your air conditioner, for example.

 

  • Always read the operating manual for any appliance you buy. It’s easy to assume that you know how to use your new air fryer or washing machine without consulting the manual, but reading the instructions is important for several reasons like finding out whether your home’s wiring is sufficient to support the new appliance. You may need to install a new circuit to prevent overloading your existing ones.

Safety While Working With electricity

Working Outdoors

  • Ensure that outdoor electrical equipment are:
    1. plugged in and turned on only when in use
    2. never be left unattended
    3. turned off whilst being carried or hooked up to attachments like mower baskets or saw blades

 

  • Clean up an area before mowing the lawn or using electrical clippers or trimmers.

 

  • Keep cords out of your path or work area. Throwing the cord over your shoulder may help.

 

  • Use only weather resistant heavy gauge extension cords marked “For Outdoor Use.”

 

  • Make sure amperage ratings for outdoor extension cords are higher than the electrical equipment with which they are used.

 

  • Select a dry day to use electrical equipment.

 

  • If electrical equipment falls into a pool or pond, unplug before retrieval.

 

  • Treat all electrical equipment, wires and lines as “live” unless proven otherwise.

 

  • Stay clear of fallen or dislodged power lines, as their status is unknown.

General safety while working

  • Keep cords out of your path or work area. Throwing the cord over your shoulder may help.

 

  • Keep electrical equipment covered and dry in between uses.

 

  • Select a dry day to use electrical equipment.

 

  • Make sure amperage ratings for outdoor extension cords are higher than the electrical equipment with which they are used.

 

  • If electrical equipment falls into a pool or pond, unplug before retrieval.

 

  • Treat all electrical equipment, wires and lines as “live” unless proven otherwise.Stay clear of fallen or dislodged power lines, as their status is unknown.

 

  • Use only three-pronged extension cords outdoors.

How to deal with an Electrical Fire

  • Cut off the electricity.

    If the device that is causing the electrical fire is found, and you can reach the cord and outlet safely, unplug it or turn off the circuit breaker.

  • Use a Type C Fire extinguisher or Baking Soda

    If you don’t have a fire extinguisher, you may use baking soda to smother and extinguish an electrical fire.

  • Don’t use water to put it out

    Water is a natural conductor of electricity and if you throw water on an electrical fire, you can get shocked or electrocuted.

    Also, water may enable to fire to spread by conducting electricity throughout the room and potentially igniting flammable materials.

  • Use a Fire Blanket or Heavy Item of Clothing to Put Out Small Fires

    Fire blankets are suited for small fires, but if one is not on hand, a dense blanket or item of clothing will work. These also smother the flames, but it’s essential to be precise when using any materials – the wrong move could fan flames, making the problem worse.

    It’s essential to practice caution when using any materials to smother a fire.

What are some causes of electrical fires?

1. FAULTY SOCKETS & OUTLETS

Most electrical fires are caused by faulty electrical outlets or worn out sockets that aren’t properly grounded. With age, the wiring behind sockets and outlets wears, the wires loosen over time and can eventually break and cause a fire.

2. LIGHT FIXTURES & FITTINGS

Another common cause of electrical fires are lamps, lightbulbs and light fittings. It’s important to follow the wattage guidelines for all light fixtures and lamps in your home and to never exceed the recommended amount. If a light bulb with too high a wattage is used a fire can start.

Placing materials such as cloth or paper over lamp shades can also cause a fire to start as the material can heat up and ignite. As a result, lamps and lampshades should never be covered.

3. EXTENSION LEADS

When large numbers of appliances are plugged into extension leads this can create an excessive power load on a single socket which it may not be able to handle.

Where possible, appliances should always be plugged directly into an outlet or if it’s necessary to use an extension lead, they should be used as a temporary measure.

If there aren’t enough outlets in your home to accommodate your needs, then an electrician can install additional outlets.

4. OUTDATED WIRING

Wiring in older homes often isn’t up to handling the increased demands and numbers of electrical appliances the average home now has. Usually, breakers are triggered when a circuit is overloaded with too much electricity, but old breaker boxes may have worn connectors that don’t work which can cause the system to overload and catch fire.

5. OLD OR FAULTY APPLIANCES

Similar to outdated wiring, using old or dated appliances can be a fire hazard as they may not be up to standard when it comes to wattage usage, material quality and safety regulations.

Old and well used appliances may have a worn cord which can send heat onto combustible surfaces like floors, curtains and rugs which can start a fire.

The grounding plug should also never be removed from a cord so that it can be used in a two-prong electrical outlet.