{"id":446,"date":"2017-10-18T23:10:27","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T04:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/?page_id=446"},"modified":"2025-10-27T10:59:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T15:59:05","slug":"electrical-safety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/electrical-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Electrical Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Incidents involving electricity can cause burns, explosions, shocks, and death, and are a major cause of building fires.\u00a0 The Electrical Safety Program has been developed to help individuals recognize and avoid electrical hazards.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tPower Strips and Extension Cords\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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    • Do not daisy-chain power strips or extension cords <\/strong>into one another as this increases the resistance of the electrical circuit, which can cause more heat to be generated and possibly cause a fire.<\/li>\n
    • Extension cords<\/strong>\u00a0are for temporary use only<\/strong> (as defined by International Fire Code = not to exceed 90 days).<\/li>\n
    • Each power strip or extension cord must be plugged directly into a permanently installed electrical receptacle (i.e., an electrical outlet<\/strong>).<\/li>\n
    • Power strips,\u00a0<\/strong>unless specified,\u00a0are designed for<\/strong>\u00a0low-powered<\/strong>\u00a0devices,\u00a0not for high-power appliances<\/strong>. High-power devices often have high startup\/surge loads that can overload a circuit. Examples of devices that should not be plugged into power strips include refrigerators, coffee pots, space heaters, microwave ovens, toasters, as well as lab equipment used for warming, heating, cooling, or other high-power applications.<\/li>\n
    • Do not use outlet adapters<\/strong> (3-prong to 2-prong), as this bypasses required safety features.<\/li>\n
    • Removing the grounding prong from 3-prong plugs is not allowed.<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • If a two-prong extension cord is used<\/strong> then it must have a polarized plug (one prong is larger than the other).<\/li>\n
    • Periodically inspect<\/strong> the cord\/strip to ensure that it is in good condition, with no cuts, frays, or other signs of damage.\u00a0 If the cord or plug has been \u201crepaired\u201d with electrical\/other tape then it must be replaced.<\/li>\n
    • Purchase and use<\/strong> only those cords\/strips that are tested and approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Rated for the specific load it is powering and have a gauge number to match the amperage and voltage requirements of the device(s).<\/li>\n
    • Eliminate tripping\/entanglement hazards.<\/strong>\n
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      • Consider the placement of the cord so that they do not become a tripping\/entanglement hazard.\u00a0 If an equipment\u2019s power cord must go across a walkway then cover it with a protective cover. Cords may be \u201cattached\u201d to the undersides of tables, walls, etc., but cords shall not be permanently affixed to the structure, extended through walls, ceiling or floors, or under doors or floor coverings (carpets, etc.<\/li>\n
      • Use the shortest cord possible for the task; longer cords are more prone to overheating and fire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-446","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2270,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/446\/revisions\/2270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}