Imperial, California (NAPSI) - A few simple steps can help reduce the risk that your loved ones will be injured in your house.
1. Be sure your home is adequately protected by smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should be installed in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. For the best protection, smoke alarms should be interconnected, so that they all sound if one sounds. You can now interconnect battery-operated alarms by wireless technology.
Combination devices that include both ionization and photoelectric alarms offer the most comprehensive protection. An ionization alarm is more responsive to flames, while a photoelectric alarm is more responsive to a smoldering fire.
Once the alarms are installed properly, be sure to test them monthly and replace the batteries once a year or anytime an alarm “chirps” or “beeps” to indicate low batteries. In any case, smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.
2. Childproof. If children live in or visit your house, you should know that every day, nearly seven youngsters are treated in hospital emergency rooms for electrical shock or burn injuries caused by tampering with a wall outlet. Fortunately, tamper-resistant receptacles (TRRs) can replace standard outlets to protect children from injury. They include a built-in shutter system that keeps foreign objects out. When equal pressure is applied simultaneously to both sides, the receptacle cover plates open, so a standard plug can make contact with the receptacle contact points. Without this synchronized pressure, the cover plates remain closed.
3. Give your home a check-up. To reduce your risk, your outlets, extension cords, appliances and lightbulbs all need to be safely inspected, installed, utilized and maintained.
Learn How
To help you identify and remedy any electrical hazards in your home, the Electrical Safety Foundation International has a variety of resources that can show you how to protect your home and loved ones. Visit www.esfi.org to view and download these materials free of charge.
