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Common Electrical Safety Precautions
Many Do-it-Yourselfers perform carpentry, gardening, painting, and even plumbing. But when it comes to home wiring, fear keeps us from completing projects that increase the value of our home, and give us strong personal satisfaction from the beautiful upgrades we could be performing.
Electrical safety is without question, the most important aspect of any electrical work. And just like anything we do in life, fear comes from 'not knowing'. Imagine what you could accomplish if you could perform home wiring safely and confidently. Imagine saving thousands of dollars over the years, if you could do-it-yourself!
It really just takes a common sense approach, but just as important; it demands your undivided attention. It's very important that you do not get in a hurry. Make sure that you have planned your project adequately, and that you've allowed plenty of time to complete your project, or at least if you have to pull off of it and come back to it later, that you find a suitable stopping point, and that you can live without the circuit that you're working on.
Anything can conduct electricity if the conditions are right, even if it is an insulator. When you need to turn off the breaker, be sure to tape it off. OSHA requires contractors to lock it off and tag it out with a process called lock out/tag out. It involves devices and red tag that will lock the breaker off to prevent it from being turned on.
In your house, at least put tape over the breaker, close the service panel cover and put masking tape across the cover. Then put a sign that says "Danger" or "Do Not Open", so anyone that gets near the panel will know right away what's going on. Also tell everyone living in the property that you are working on the electrical system.
When you are working with the fuse panels, always use only one hand to remove it. Put your other hand behind your back on in your pocket. You should develop this practice while working on fuse panels. This will save your life if you accidentally grab a circuit with both hand and it will create a path for electricity to flow through your heart. With one hand behind, the electricity can still flow through one hand and one foot, but damage to the heart is dramatically minimized.
Another important aspect of safety that frequently goes unmentioned is tool use. It is well worth spending a little extra money to purchase quality hand tools like your lineman pliers, screwdrivers, wire strippers, and other hand tools that you will use for electrical work. For instance, Good wire strippers will prevent you from nicking or skinning the wires. Good screwdrivers will prevent slipping out of screw heads or rounding them out. You get my point; good tools not only improve the quality of your workmanship, but improve your confidence as well. So don't skimp on tools. You can stock your tool pouch with good quality tools for $100 or less.
In summary; When we talk about safety we're talking about good, old-fashioned common sense, and taking personal responsibility for your own safety.
Electrical safety is without question, the most important aspect of any electrical work. And just like anything we do in life, fear comes from 'not knowing'. Imagine what you could accomplish if you could perform home wiring safely and confidently. Imagine saving thousands of dollars over the years, if you could do-it-yourself!
It really just takes a common sense approach, but just as important; it demands your undivided attention. It's very important that you do not get in a hurry. Make sure that you have planned your project adequately, and that you've allowed plenty of time to complete your project, or at least if you have to pull off of it and come back to it later, that you find a suitable stopping point, and that you can live without the circuit that you're working on.
Anything can conduct electricity if the conditions are right, even if it is an insulator. When you need to turn off the breaker, be sure to tape it off. OSHA requires contractors to lock it off and tag it out with a process called lock out/tag out. It involves devices and red tag that will lock the breaker off to prevent it from being turned on.
In your house, at least put tape over the breaker, close the service panel cover and put masking tape across the cover. Then put a sign that says "Danger" or "Do Not Open", so anyone that gets near the panel will know right away what's going on. Also tell everyone living in the property that you are working on the electrical system.
When you are working with the fuse panels, always use only one hand to remove it. Put your other hand behind your back on in your pocket. You should develop this practice while working on fuse panels. This will save your life if you accidentally grab a circuit with both hand and it will create a path for electricity to flow through your heart. With one hand behind, the electricity can still flow through one hand and one foot, but damage to the heart is dramatically minimized.
Another important aspect of safety that frequently goes unmentioned is tool use. It is well worth spending a little extra money to purchase quality hand tools like your lineman pliers, screwdrivers, wire strippers, and other hand tools that you will use for electrical work. For instance, Good wire strippers will prevent you from nicking or skinning the wires. Good screwdrivers will prevent slipping out of screw heads or rounding them out. You get my point; good tools not only improve the quality of your workmanship, but improve your confidence as well. So don't skimp on tools. You can stock your tool pouch with good quality tools for $100 or less.
In summary; When we talk about safety we're talking about good, old-fashioned common sense, and taking personal responsibility for your own safety.
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Want to find out more about Safety Services, then visit Peter Hung's site on how to choose the best Environmental Services for your needs.