Electrical safety hazards are lurking inside and outside your home. Follow these tips to keep you and your family safe:

Safety indoors

• Keep appliances away from water and always make sure your hands are dry when using them.
• Make sure outlets near water sources have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) to shut off power in time to prevent serious injury. GFCIs should be used in bathrooms, garages, near kitchen sinks and outdoors. If your outlet has red and black "test" and "reset" buttons, it has a GFCI.
• Repair or replace an appliance if the cord is frayed.
• Childproof outlets.
• Never exceed the extension cords’ load rating.
• Use three-pronged plugs only in three-pronged outlets. Never remove a prong from three-pronged plugs.

Safety outdoors

• Pay attention to the location of all overhead power lines. Make sure to check for power lines in or near trees before pruning branches. Don’t use pruning tools or ladders near power lines. Never try to remove a branch that is tangled or lying across a power line. Instead, call us at 1-888-221-7070 – we’ll be happy to remove it for you. FOLLOW THE 10-FOOT RULE! Always keep yourself and anything you’re handling at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines.
• Remember to "call before you dig" when putting in fence posts, planting trees, installing sprinkler systems or excavating for new construction. Call 811 at least 48 hours before you dig to have lines marked.
• Use electric power tools only in dry weather.
• Never sit on, play on, dig near or pry open pad-mounted transformers (four-foot-tall, green, metal boxes most often found in neighborhoods and parks). If you find one that has been unlocked or damaged, call us immediately at 1-888-221-7070.
• In winter, remember to watch for power lines while cross-country skiing and snow-mobiling.

Safety for children

Please remind children to:

• Never climb power poles, transmission towers or substation fences. If a tree is near a power line, do not build forts or climb in.
• Fly kites far away from power lines – if a kite does get caught in a power line, release the string at once.

Downed power line safety 

• If you spot a wire down, keep everyone out of the area and call 911 and us at 1-888-221-7070. Never try to move a downed wire. Always assume a downed wire is dangerous and that the power line is energized. Touching a live line or anything near it –like a fence or a puddle – can cause electricity to flow through your body, resulting in serious injury or death. Stay safe and stay away.
• If an electric line falls on your car and you're inside it, stay inside until help arrives. You are safe from electrical shock as long as you're inside the vehicle. If you must escape due to a car fire, leap from the open vehicle with both feet together, (and continue to hop away with both feet together) taking care to never touch the car once you've made contact with the ground. Warn others to stay clear of the vehicle until power company officials arrive.

Holiday safety

• Only use safety-tested lights that carry the "UL" label.
• Fasten outdoor lights to trees or house walls to protect them from wind damage. Do not use indoor lights outdoors and vice versa. Always turn off holiday lights when you leave home.