The Electrical Safety Foundation International has designated May National Electrical Safety Month. Although some data suggest that electrical safety awareness is on the rise, most deaths and injuries caused by electrical hazards are preventable, the foundation noted.
Approximately three people die each day in residential electrical-related fires and accidental electrocutions in the home, according to statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Between 1994 and 1998, an annual average of 165,380 electrical-related home structure fires accounted for an annual average of 910 deaths, approximately 7,000 injuries, and nearly $1.7 billion in property damage.
Electrical hazards also are present in the work place. In 2001, 285 people were electrocuted on the job, Occupational Safety and Health Administration data show. In addition to the tremendous costs associated with health insurance and workers' compensation claims, millions of dollars are lost in corporate and personal productivity, ESFI noted.
This year, ESFI is offering a kit to help homeowners increase electrical safety awareness. The kit, developed from a firefighter's perspective, is available at www.electricalsafety.org.
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