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Home Safety Tips

ELECTRIC SAFETY
house/plug Protect yourself from electricity’s potential danger. Here are some ways you can ensure your home is safe.

Make sure extension cords used outdoors are rated for outdoor use. A red UL label indicates that they are suitable for outdoor and indoor use.
Discard decorations with worn or frayed electrical cords, damaged plugs, or loose connections.
Make sure all unused outlets that are accessible to small children have safety covers.
Make sure your plugs fit your outlets. Never remove the ground pin (third prong) to make a three-prong plug fit a two-conductor outlet. This could lead to electric shock.

Electric appliances and tools

If a plugged-in appliance falls into water, NEVER pull it out or unplug it, even if it’s turned off, without first turning off the power source at the main electrical panel.
If you use a standby generator, be sure it’s installed and wired properly. Never connect a generator directly to your main electric panel. Without the correct safety mechanisms, power from the generator could flow onto the power line and cause injury.

Fire prevention

Replace outlets in which plugs fit loosely. Worn outlets can overheat and lead to fire.
Securely screw in lightbulbs because loose bulbs can overheat.
Don’t run cords under rugs or rest furniture on them. They may be damaged or overheat.
Change smoke alarm batteries regularly. Many people use the switch to and from daylight savings time as a reminder to change batteries.

NATURAL GAS SAFETY

If you smell natural gas, don’t stay inside your home. Leave your home or business. Contact your natural gas provider.

More than 60 million customers in the United States use natural gas in homes or businesses, according to the American Gas Association. Natural gas provides about 24 percent of all the energy that is used across the nation.

Natural gas is a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons – mainly methane – formed naturally in the earth, often in areas with petroleum deposits. Other substances found in natural gas, such as butane, propane, and ethane, are removed before consumers use the methane gas that we call natural gas in appliances or equipment.

What to do if you smell a strong, persistent odor:

Put out all open flames.
Don't smoke or light any matches.
Don't touch any electrical light or appliance switches.
Don't use your phone because it may cause a spark.
Leave the building and call your utility from somewhere else, away from the gas odor. As you leave, open doors and windows if you can do so quickly and easily. Because natural gas is lighter than air, it rises and will dissipate rapidly, where it can escape into the open air.
Stay away from your building until you've been told that it is safe to return.

Look For The Blue Flame

If pilot lights and burners have a steady, blue flame, they are operating correctly. (Decorative gas fire logs are the only exception; that flame is usually yellow.)

Did You Know?

In its native state, natural gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless. A chemical is added to natural gas that contains sulfur, which makes it smell. Many people describe the odor as similar to rotten eggs.