Twin Valleys Public Power

Electrical Safety Tips

Please use this list to help prevent a serious accident from occurring to someone that you care about. Electricity is a great energy source that is very important to our everyday living, but if mishandled or not respected it can be very dangerous, even fatal. Give electricity and the lines that carry it, the greatest amount of respect. Your safety is important to us at Twin Valleys Public Power District.

Indoors

Never overload an outlet with too many plugs by using cube taps.
Never pull a plug out of an outlet by the cord, always grab the plug.
Keep cords away from heat or water.
Make sure plugs on all electrical appliances are the three-prong grounded type.
Check your cords for wear, especially around the plug or connector, and replace if necessary. If you have a cut in a cord replace it immediately.
If an extension cord feels warm or hot stop using it right away. The cord is not heavy enough for the load it is carrying and could be a fire hazard.
Always use the proper type of plug in each outlet. If you have 2 conductor outlets use a grounding adapter with a 3 prong plug. Never cut the round or grounding pin off; this could lead to an electrical shock hazard.
Always use ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) in bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoor outlets. They provide the greatest protection where water and electricity could come into contact.
Never use radios, hair dryers, or any other electrical product in the bathroom around the shower, bathtub, or sink.
Water and electricity don’t mix. If your basement or any other surface is wet or flooded make sure the power is turned off before walking on the surface to prevent an electrical shock.
Circuit breakers and fuses should be the correct size for the circuits. If you do not know the size of your fuses have an electrician identify and mark the correct size to be used. Always replace a blown fuse with the correct size to prevent serious problems from occurring.
If an appliance repeatedly blows a fuse or trips a circuit breaker, or if it has emitted an electrical shock, unplug it and have it repaired or replaced. Make sure all electric appliances you purchase have the Underwriters Laboratory tag or label (UL Approved).
Never put metal silverware into a plugged in electric toaster.
If you use a portable electric space heater, make sure it has a protective shut-off if the unit is tipped over. Never use a space heater near curtains or other types of flammable objects.
Have all major appliances on a separate circuit to prevent overloading of a circuit.

Outdoors

Touching a live power line can cause a serious injury, even death. You can’t tell by looking at a power line if it is “hot” or not so always assume the line is carrying electricity and stay at least 10 feet away.
If you come upon a downed power line, don’t go near the wire or anything that it is touching. Make sure that others stay away and call Twin Valleys Public Power District right away at 308-697-3315 or 800-658-4266.
If a power line falls on your vehicle, stay in your vehicle. If you must get out of your vehicle for your safety, jump out of your car landing with both feet on the ground and shuffle at least 15 feet away. Never touch the ground and the car at the same time.
Always keep ladders, augers, irrigation pipe, well digging equipment, or any other tall machinery away from overhead power lines. Keep anything that conducts electricity at least 10 feet away from all power lines.
Teach your children not to play around electrical structures like padmount transformers and substations. Make sure they never get inside the fence at a substation. Never fly a kite near overhead power lines.
Don’t shoot at or otherwise damage insulators on utility poles.
Never use electrical tools or appliances in the rain or where you may be standing in water.
Make sure the extension cords you use outdoors are rated for exterior use.
Use weatherproof electrical outlets outdoors.
Trees and electricity do not mix. Be sure all trees are clear of power lines before climbing or trimming.
Warning!! If you use a standby generator during power outages, make sure that it is installed properly to prevent serious problems in safety and service. Your generator must have a double-throw switch installed so that the electric service can be transferred from the power lines to the generator. If this is not done feedback from the generator voltage onto the power lines will endanger the lives of the crews working to restore your power and could damage your generator.

Conductors are the materials used by electricity to complete its path, or circuit. Excellent conductors are aluminum, brass, copper, silver, gold, and water. Glass, rubber, and plastic are poor electrical conductors. Since human bodies are 70% water they are excellent conductors of electricity—don’t let electricity complete its circuit path through you.

Electric Safety Tips