March 22, 2013 – In anticipation of May’s National Electrical Safety Month*, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFi) is spearheading its annual effort to raise awareness about potential home electrical hazards and the importance of electrical safety. This year’s campaign theme is “Electrical Safety for All Ages”.

* National Electrical Safety Month is declared and conducted by ESFi in the U.S. EBMag has contacted ESFi Canada to see whether it will declare the same here. – Editor

While electrical hazards threaten the public at large, ESFi says our youngest and oldest populations are exceptionally vulnerable. Nearly seven children a day are treated in emergency rooms for electric shock or burns caused by tampering with a wall outlet, notes ESFi, while one-third of people who are killed by home electrical fires are over the age of 65. With that in mind, ESFI developed safety materials targeting these at-risk populations and updated resources for the general public.

“Following basic safety precautions is the key to preventing many electrocutions and home electrical fires,” said ESFI president Brett Brenner. “This year’s campaign features a collection of easily sharable safety resources that are specifically tailored to older adults, children, and everyone in between to ensure that our messages resonate with the largest audience possible.”

ESFI has an extensive variety of resources to reach general homeowners and consumers, including practical home electrical system tips on how to prevent electrical hazards. A new illustrated tip sheet, “Give Your Home an Electrical Safety Checkup”, offers tips on how to identify and rectify electrical dangers in the home. Campaign materials highlight the tremendous safety benefits provided by arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs), ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and tamper-resistant receptacles (TRRs).

ESFI encourages the sharing of its campaign resources and developed The National Electrical Safety Month 2013 Electrical Safety Advocate Guide to provide the resources necessary to raise awareness of electrically safe practices. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to be an Electrical Safety Advocate and help champion ESFI’s cause of minimizing electrically related deaths and injuries.

For ESFI’s complete collection of National Electrical Safety Month resources, visit www.esfi.org/NESM.