May is National Electrical Safety Month

4/30/2014 (Permalink)

May is National Electrical Safety Month, and SERVPRO of Great Neck / Port Washington is pleased to provide the following information to raise your awareness!

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is dedicated exclusively to promoting electrical safety in the home and the workplace. ESFI proudly sponsors National Electrical Safety Month each May, and engages in public education campaigns throughout the year to prevent electrical fires, injuries, and fatalities.

The most recent statistical data from the National Fire Protection Association indicates an annual average of more than 53,000 electrical home structure fires, claiming more than 450 lives, injuring more than 1,400 people, and causing more than $1.4 billion in property damage. In the workplace, electrical hazards are the cause of another almost 4,000 non-fatal injuries. “Eliminating electrical hazards begins with education and awareness,” says ESFI President Brett Brenner.  “National Electrical Safety Month is a time for all of us at home and at work to reexamine our surroundings and determine what steps we can take to prevent the hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries and billions of dollars in productivity and assets that occur each year because of electrical hazards.”

To help promote electrical safety, ESFI has developed a campaign toolkit that is organized with tools you can use to facilitate an effective electrical safety awareness campaign for your community, organization, customers, and workplace associates.

ESFI’s complimentary 2010 NESM Campaign Toolkit can be downloaded on the foundation’s website at www.electrical-safety.org.

This year’s campaign will focus on one key electrical safety issue during each week in May:

Renovating the Right Way (May 2-8):Whether you are a first-time do-it-yourselfer or a “weekend warrior,” practicing safe habits can reduce your risk when it comes to home electrical work. Use ESFI’s Electrical Safety Workbookto conduct a basic electrical safety audit of your home.

Staying Safe at Work (May 9-15):Use ESFI’s new Office Safety Checklistto perform a basic electrical safety inspection at work and keep your office safe from electrical hazards.

Educating Your Children (May 16-22):Do your children know what it takes to stay safe when it comes to electricity? Visit ESFI’s Kids Corner, a new online resource that features teaching tools and educational resources to teach kids about electrical safety.

Remembering Electrical Safety in the Field (May 23-29):Use ESFI’s Never AssumeSafety Series to give you and your co-workers the right frame of mind when it comes to safety in the workplace. From job planning to arc flash awareness, this one-of-a-kind video program is a must for anyone working with or near electricity!

For more information about ESFI and National Electrical Safety Month, visit www.electrical-safety.org