Electrical Safety for Your Home

Soak Safely in Home Spa

Soak safely in your hot tub this summer.

* Never use a hot tub during a thunderstorm.
* Keep electrical devices far from the hot tub. This includes radios,
TVs and phones with cords. Advise wet bathers not to handle them. Use battery-powered electronics when possible.
* For indoor hot tubs, install a ventilation fan to prevent the buildup of heat and moisture in the room. Check the tub's water level before using it. A spa without enough water could damage the heater and pumps.
* Consult local building codes to ensure you locate your hot tub a safe distance away from electrical outlets. A licensed electrician should handle all electrical connections in the hot tub and check the condition of underwater lights. Faulty lighting systems can electrocute bathers.
* The National Electrical Code requires hot tubs to be located within 15 feet of a manual cutoff switch.
* And according to the National Spa and Pool Institute, a 15-minute soak at 104 degrees is the maximum safe limit for an adult, but children should not soak for more than 10 minutes in water no hotter than 95 degrees. Exposure beyond these limits can raise body temperatures beyond safe levels.

Rewire, Hire-And Avoid A Fire

It's said that electrical wiring problems create more than 40,000 house fires and $2 billion in personal damage every year. Don't be part of a statistic. Consider this:

* Flickering lights indicate trouble. So do wall switches and outlets that feel warm to the touch.
* Extension cords aren't for permanent use. If that's how you're using yours, you're asking for trouble.
* Two-pronged outlets don't accept three-prong appliance plugs. An electrician should upgrade your two-pronged outlets; that third plug grounds the appliance for safety.
* Every bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and outdoor outlet should be equipped with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). GFCI's cut power off directly at the outlet in case of emergency.
* Some houses built in the 1960s have aluminum wiring, which can overheat and lead to fires. Get your house inspected to see if you need to upgrade to safer wiring.
* Label each circuit in your electrical panel. If your circuit box doesn't have a main disconnect that can shut down the whole system in an emergency, call an electrician to have one installed.
* Don't let an amateur do a professional's job. Electrical wiring in not for do-it-yourselfers. Always hire a licensed electrician.

SAFETY TURTLE helps protect kids, pets from danger of drowning

According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, drowning is the number-two cause of death among children ages 1-4, as well as several other age brackets up to the age of 15. Last year, approximately 400 children died in backyard swimming pools, about 3,000 children are rushed to emergency rooms every year–and more than half of those suffer permanent brain damage.

Safety Turtle to the rescue!

The alarm system, which consists of an AC-powered base station and one or more Turtle wristbands, alerts parents the instant a child falls into the water. The wristband is placed around the child's wrist and is locked with a childproof key. If the child falls in the water, a loud alarm sounds at the base station and continues until the alarm is reset. The sys tem, coupled with a travelbag accessory and battery pack, can be taken anywhere there's water, and can support any number of wristbands for families with multiple children. (There's a Safety Turtle for pets, too; the sensor is attached to the pet's collar.)

Of course, Safety Turtle is an added measure of safety; children should be properly supervised when in an area of potential danger.