Electrical Safety Tips for Kids

At Bandera Electric Cooperative, we understand that your children’s health and well-being are top priority. With thousands of electrical fires and electric shocks occurring in American homes each year, knowledge of electrical safety is necessary to ensure that your loved ones stay safe. A few tips can teach good habits to keep youngsters safe.

Electrical fires are caused when a wire or electrical device overheats. Make sure your children understand that water cannot extinguish this type of fire. Only fire extinguishers can be used to put out an electrical fire.
Electric shocks are also a common safety hazard. Remind your kids that it’s not safe to mix water with electricity. Keep blow dryers, cellphone chargers and any other electrical devices away from all water, especially in bathrooms. Make sure ground-fault circuit interrupters are installed in all outlets in areas that might come into contact with water, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens and outdoors.

Keep metal objects out of appliances and plugs. If a piece of toast gets stuck in the toaster, never use a metal knife to retrieve it. Unplug the toaster, allow it to cool, and use a different tool or utensil to remove the toast.
Remember, only plugs go into outlets. Sticking fingers or other objects in outlets may result in an electric shock and possibly a fire. If you have children in the crawling stage, use outlet covers to help prevent accidents.

It’s always a good idea to turn off lights when they aren’t in use. You may feel like you tell your kids hundreds of times a day to turn off lights when they’re not using them, but it’s worth the effort. Not only will this save your family money on your electric bill; it could also prevent electrical fires caused by overheated bulbs.