Ten Electrical Safety TipsTen Electrical Safety Tips
- Never use electrical equipment or tools near a pool or other wet areas.
- Look up. Be aware of overhead power lines. Always look up for the location of power lines when carrying or setting up a ladder or using a long-handled pool-cleaning tool.
- Call before digging. If you are beginning an outdoor project where digging is required, make certain you first determined the location of all underground facilities before you dig. Call the Blue Stake Center at 1-800-STAKE-IT (1-800-782-5348) state-wide at least two working days before you dig. The service is free.
- Have help installing antennas. Antennas can be installed safely if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use common sense. However, never get yourself, tools, materials and/or equipment closer than 10 feet from any overhead power lines.
- Fly kites and model airplanes in open areas well away from trees and power lines. Never use any metallic material in your kite.
- Inspect power tools and electric lawn mowers for frayed power cords, broken plugs and cracked or broken housings. If the product is damaged, stop using it and have it repaired immediately. All tools should be unplugged when not in use and stored in dry areas.
- Use caution when trimming trees. Before attempting any tree pruning, look for overhead power lines that may be near and/or hidden by the tree foliage. If there are any concerns with overhead power lines and trees on your property contact ED2 prior to attempting any tree work.
- Do not plant vegetation or construct any permanent structures directly in front of underground electrical equipment devices. Not only are there numerous underground facilities located by these devices, ED2 employees need safe access to work on these devices during unplanned outages and routine maintenance.
- Never use electric-powered mowers on wet grass. Use an extension cord designed for outdoor use and rated for the power needs of your mower.
- Treat all electric lines with caution and respect. Even low-voltage electric lines and cords can be hazardous if damaged or improperly handled.
How We Restore PowerHow We Restore Power
During storm restoration, facilities that are essential to the health and welfare of the community are given priority. These facilities include:
- health care providers
- news media
After service is restored to priority customers, our strategy is to do whatever it takes to restore the most people’s power back on the quickest. When making a decision on where power should be restored first, we look at the amount of customers that are affected by the outage. If we have a choice to restore 2,000 customers, or 100 customers, we would first work to get the 2,000 customers up and running.
There are other factors that can impact the time of power restoration: weather conditions, accessibility to damaged areas, time of day, and environmental issues. Since these factors can impact outages differently, it can be difficult to predict restoration times.
Resetting Your Circuit BreakerResetting Your Circuit Breaker
- First, turn off lamps and appliances in use when the circuit goes out.
- Make sure your hands are dry and you are standing on a dry surface. Identify the breaker switch that is in (or toward) the “off” position. Turn it all the way to “off” and then to the “on” position.
- If the breaker tripped because there is something wrong with an appliance, be sure to have the necessary repairs made before using the appliance again.