A Plug for Electric Safety

7/31/2019 A Plug for Electric Safety

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A Plug for Electric Safety


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Electricity is a remarkable service that makes our lives

easier and more un. However, when used improperly,

electricity can be deadly. The suggestions in this brochure

can help keep you and your loved ones sae.

When you see this symbol , please share the inorma-tion with your children.

For more inormation about electrical saety, visit us at

www.consumersenergy.com.

Emergency Inormation

In case o an emergency, such as a allen power line

or a power outage, call us right away, day or night, at(800) 477-5050.

Make sure your house number is visible rom the road

day or night, so we can nd your home quickly in an

emergency.

Identifcation Badges

All o our employees and our contractors carry an iden-tication (ID) badge with their name and photo. Never

let anyone into your home i they cant or wont show

you an ID badge or i you have any doubts about them.

Instead, call us or the police.


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Home Saety

Appliances .............................................................................5

Portable Heaters ...............................................................5

Cords, Plugs, Fuses and Circuit Breakers ............. 5

Lighting ....................................................................................6

Power Tools .......................................................................... 7

Electrical Fires .....................................................................7

Outdoor Saety

Home and Yard ..................................................................9

Power Lines ..........................................................................9

Meters and Other Electrical Equipment ..........10

MISS DIG ............................................................................ 11

Storm SaetyBeore a Storm ...............................................................13

During a Storm ...............................................................13

When Power Goes Out ............................................13

Generators ........................................................................13

Lie Support Equipment ............................................14

TableofContents


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Appliances

Beore using a new appliance, readthe manuacturers directions aboutsae operation and care. Keep theinstructions handy.

I an appliance overheats or sparkswhen you turn it on, unplug it im-mediately and have it repaired orreplaced.

I someone receives a shock rom aaulty appliance and is still touchingit, dont touch the person, appliance,cord or plug. You could get a shock,

too. To avoid a shock, never put a metal

knie, ork or other object into atoaster thats plugged in.

Always unplug your electric appliancesbeore cleaning them.

Dont touch electrical appliances,circuit breakers or uses i your hands

are wet or youre standing on a wetfoor. You could receive a seriousinjury or deadly shock.

Keep radios, hair dryers, razors andother electrical appliances away romsinks, bathtubs, showers and othersources o water.

Beore you go into a fooded home

or basement, call us. Well turn o ourservice temporarily so you can work

saely.

Portable Heaters

Keep the heater away rom curtains,drapes and bedspreads anything

that could catch re and away rom

sinks, bathtubs and other wet areas. For greatest eciency, keep the

heaters temperature set at the lowestposition youre comortable with.

Plug the heater directly into the walloutlet. Most extension cords arentdesigned or the heaters heavycurrent.

Always unplug a portable heaterwhen youre not using it.

Cords, Plugs, Fuses and

Circuit Breakers

Dont run electrical cordsthrough doorways rom one

room to another or under

carpets, cushions or otherfammable materials. Keep

urniture o cords.

Connect large applianc-

es, such as your stove,

rerigerator or window

air conditioner, directly

to wall outlets with

their own cords.

Keep cords away rom hot

suraces, such as toasters,

heaters or deep ryers.

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Remember to unplug the

iron ater each use; orgetting

could cause a re.


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Cords, Plugs, Fuses and

Circuit Breakerscontinued

Dont wrap cords around appliancesor metal pipes when the appliancesare plugged in, and keep them away

rom areas where they may get wet.

Never put nails or tacks throughcords. You could get a shock or createa re hazard.

I an extension cord gets hot, stopusing it immediately. I the cord isdeective, replace it. I the instructionsor the appliance indicate the cord is

too small, buy a larger cord.

A blown use or tripped circuitbreaker are signs that too many cordsmay be plugged into one wall outlet.

To avoid shocks, never put anythingexcept a plug into an outlet when thepower is on.

Be sure plugs t tightly into wall out-lets. Loose-tting plugs could overheatand start a re.

When you disconnect a tool or appli-ance, pull the plug, not the cord.

Install saety covers on all unused out-lets i you have small children in yourhome or small children visit oten.

Only use uses that are correctly sizedor the circuits.

I uses burn out or your circuitbreaker trips repeatedly, you may

be using more appliances than

your wiring can saely handle. Turn o the electric-

ity whenever you workon your use or circuitpanels.

We recommendhaving your wiringchecked by a licensed

electrician i:- Toasters or irons dontget as hot as theyshould.

- Your TV picture shrinkswhen other appliances are

turned on.

- You use extension cords because

there arent enough outlets.- The lights in your home dim orbrighten oten.

- Youve remodeled or increased the

size o your home.

Lighting

For holiday lighting:- Check each light string beore use.

Throw light strings away i they have

rayed cords, damaged plugs and

light sockets or loose connections.

- Replace broken bulbs.

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Use light bulbs that are thecorrect number o watts or

the xture. Bulbs that are toopowerul may overheat

and cause a re.


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Lightingcontinued

- Use smaller bulbs; they generate less

heat and are less likely to dry out a

real tree.

- Connect lights to power strips thathave several outlets and their own

circuit breaker. I possible, use several

outlets.

- Use extension cords rated #14

or #16.

- Dont decorate a metal tree with

tinsel or electric lights. A power

surge or electrical problem in thewiring could electriy the tree. I

you touch it, you could be seriously

injured. Use foodlights instead.

- To avoid a shock, never touch tree

lights or electric decorations when

your hands are wet.

- Always turn o and unplug the lightsbeore you go to bed or

leave home.

Power Tools

Plug tools into outlets

with a ground-ault

circuit interrupter

(GFCI) or useportable GFCIs.

To prevent shocks,

use power tools

with double

insulation or with

three-prong plugs

and grounding recep-

tacles.

When needed, use a

three-prong extension cord

that is moisture-proo and can

handle the current needed by

your tools.

Be sure your homes electrical

wiring is enough to support your

power tools.

Make sure the electricity is o and

you know where electrical wiring is

located beore drilling into a wall.

Electrical Fires

I an electric appliance catches re, try

to unplug it or turn o the power at

the circuit breaker or use box.

Have at least one re extinguisher ap-

proved or all types o household res(ABC type) and keep it handy. NOTE:

Some re extinguishers are not sae

or use around electricity.

I you dont have a re extinguisher,

sprinkle baking soda on the fame.

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Unplug power tools,insect lights or otherelectric appliances

beore cleaning them.


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OUTDOOR SAFETY


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Home and Yard

Direct outside bulbs downward tokeep moisture out o the sockets.

When hanging lights outside, useinsulated staples or ornament hooks.

Nails or tacks can tear the insulationaround the wiring, causing a shock orre hazard.

Cover outdoor plugs and connectorswith riction tape or plastic wrap toprotect them rom snow or water.Seal ends well with tape.

I possible, use outlets controlled by

switches so you wont have to discon-nect a damp cord rom a live circuit.

I you use an outdoor display with anelectric motor, make sure its on solidground; use a three-prong extensioncord thats moisture proo, i needed.

I its raining or the ground is wet,dont use an electric lawn mower orpower tools. Keep them away romsprinklers and other sources o water.Be careul when working with power

tools near water, such as on a dock.

Never use a stereo, telephone, TVor other electrical appliance neara swimming pool or hot tub. I theappliance alls in the water while itsplugged in, you could be electrocuted.

Make sure outdoor outlets have cov-

ers that close when not in use.

Power Lines

Stay away rom allen or saggingpower lines and never touch any-

thing a power line is touching, such asbroken branches, a car, bicycle, evenanother person. I you touch anything

thats in contact with a power line, theelectricity will fow through you, caus-ing serious injury or death.

Report a allen power line immedi-ately to us at (800) 477-5050 or thepolice.

I youre in a vehicle that comes incontact with a power line, stay calm

and stay put. I a lie or death situa-tion orces you to leave, jump awayrom your vehicle keeping both eet

together. Make sure you dont touchthe car and the ground at the sametime. Ater you are out o your car,dont touch the car. Warn others to

stay clear o your vehicle.

Dont let water rom a gardenhose or sprinkler touch over-head electrical lines. The elec-tricity in the lines could ol-low the water to the groundwhere youre standing.

Make sure the antenna onyour house wont contacta power line or touch a

power line i it alls over. When towing a sail boat,

lower the mast and secure itwell. Watch or power lineswhen sailing, launching orbringing your boat ashore.

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Electrical codes

limit the use o holidaydecorative lighting and

similar displays to

no longer than

90 consecutive days.


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Power Lines continued

Fly kites and model airplanes awayrom antennas, electric lines andsubstations. I they become tangled inpower equipment, they could cause

personal injury, a re or a poweroutage. Dont try to retrieve them i

they do become tangled.

Keep ladders, poles, pipes, truckbooms and other equipment at least10 eet rom power lines.

Never trim or climb a tree that haspower lines running through it. Tree

branches can conduct electricity. Ibranches are tangled in our powerlines, call us to have them removed.

Never place a swimming pool underpower lines.

Meters and Other Electrical

Equipment

I you bump our electric meter with alawn mower, snow blower or heavy

object, or i you tie pets to it or hanghoses on it, you could damage the me-

ter or interrupt service to your home.

Never tamper with a meter or electriclines its dangerous and its against

the law. Tampering could result in seri-ous injury or property damage. I yoususpect someone o tampering with ameter, please call us immediately.

I you need to have our electric metermoved, please call us.

Watch out or guy wires, anchors,rods and poles when youre plow-

ing or mowing. Loose or broken guywires can become energized and causepower lines to sag and poles to break.I you notice a loose or broken guywire, call us.

I you see this warning sign, Danger High Voltage Keep Away, stay clear.We place these signs near electricalequipment, such as transormers and

substations, with dangerously highvoltages.

Please dont hang signs and posters onour power poles. Nails, staples or jag-

ged wood can tear the protectiveclothing worn by our employees

to prevent them rom receiv-ing an electric shock.

Our electric lineemployees wearspecial boots anduse climbing hooksto help them climbpoles to inspect andrepair electric lines. I

the hooks hit a nail,it could cause a line

worker to all. Never climb poles ortowers. You could beseriously injured orkilled by electricity orby a all.

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In case o an emergency, we may needto get to our meter quickly. Keep the

meter clear o ice and snow, icicles,tools, woodpiles, bushes, debris and

other large objects.


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MISS DIG

At least three working days beore you oryour contractor dig or any reason, call MISSDIG at (800) 482-7171. MISS DIG contactsutilities to mark underground public service

lines, such as electric, natural gas, cable TVand other service lines, with brightlycolored fags.

Consumers Energy posts yellow fags nearunderground natural gas lines and red fagsnear underground electric lines. Blue fagsindicate water lines. Orange fags mark tele-phone and cable lines. Brown fags indicatesewer lines. This ree service can helpensure your saety.

Ask kids to Respect the Flags and leaveutility fags alone. I they see someonepulling them out, they should tell an adult.The adult should call MISS DIG to have

the fag placed in the right spot.

Be sure you mark any service linesyouve installed, such as sprinkler

systems and low-voltage lighting.

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Beore a Storm

Keep a fashlight, battery-poweredradio and resh batteries handy. Dur-ing a widespread power outage, wellbroadcast power restoration updates

on local radio stations. Plus, i you canget to a location that has power andInternet access, you can report out-ages and receive restoration updatesat www.consumersenergy.com

Store extra uses near your use boxand label uses and circuits according

to the outlets they serve.

Unplug your sensitive electronics(TV, VCR, DVD, microwave or homecomputer) beore the storm begins to

prevent lightning damage.

During a Storm

I youre indoors, dont use a phoneconnected to a wall outlet except or

an emergency. Lightning can travelthrough the phone wires into yourbody. Use a cell phone instead.

Dont take a bath, shower or swimduring a thunderstorm.

Stay away rom allen power lines andanything that may be touching them.The power line could be carryingdangerous amounts o electricity. Any-

thing around the power line, includingthe ground, could be energized. Stayat least 25 eet away.

Dont stand under trees, in wateror touch anything metal, and neveroperate a tractor, riding lawn moweror bicycle. I lightning strikes a tree,gol club, ence or other object youre

touching, you could be seriouslyinjured or killed.

Seek sae shelter. I none is available,lie in a ravine or drop to your kneesand curl your head orward with your

hands over the back o your head.

When Power Goes Out

See i your neighbors have power.I they do, check to see i you havea blown use or a tripped circuitbreaker.

I the power is out in your neighbor-hood, look or allen wires, brokenutility poles or tree limbs on a powerline and stay clear o them.

Report your outage online andreceive restoration updates at www.consumersenergy.com. Or, call usat (800) 477-5050. Our automated

phone system or a customer servicerepresentative will answer your call.We can serve you aster i you haveyour account number handy. Also,please tell us i you have a serioushealth or saety problem in your

home.

Home Generators

Beore permanently installing a gen-erator, contact a licensed electricalcontractor. The nal installation mustbe approved by an electrical inspector.

Make sure the generator is electricallyisolated rom Consumers Energys

electrical system.

Portable Generators

Never disconnect our electric meter.

Start the generator beore connectingappliances or equipment.

Connect appliances to the generatorusing fexible extension cords withcurrent ratings adequate or the appli-

ances served. Never operate more equipment and

appliances than the output rating othe generator.

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Portable Generatorscontinued

Alternate your appliances to staywithin your portable generatorsoutput.

Never plug a portable generator into

a wall outlet. You could damage yourhomes wiring.

Never operate a generator in yourhome, garage, basement or any otherenclosed area.

Always use your generator in a dry,well-ventilated outdoor location toprevent deadly carbon monoxide

rom entering your home.

Place the generator at least threeto our eet rom an enclosed areaand away rom doors, windows andresh air intakes where exhaust umesand carbon monoxide can enter thehome.

Turn the generator o and let it cool

beore reueling.

Lie Support Equipment

I someone in your home dependson electrically powered lie-supportequipment prescribed by a doctor,

such as a respirator, apnea monitor

or kidney dialysis machine the RedCross Identication Program may help.

The American Red Cross helps pre-pare a personal emergency plan toollow in the event o a power outage.The plan describes how to arrangeor backup equipment and identiesactions to take during a power outageor another emergency.

For an application orm, call us at(800) 477-5050. Ater you return yourcompleted application to us, well no-

tiy the American Red Cross to sendyou the inormation to get started.

NOTE: Backup generators and trans-portation services are not part o thisprogram. Participation in this program

does not mean your electric serviceswill be restored sooner than othercustomers.

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Follow all o the manuacturers

instructions and precautions beore

starting and operating

your generator.


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One Energy Plaza

Jackson, MI 49201-2276

www.consumersenergy.com

Documents

A Plug for Electric Safety