What Happens Next Will Shock You! (If You Don’t Know About These Common Electrical Hazards)

Journeys in Construction

What Happens Next Will Shock You! (If You Don’t Know About These Common Electrical Hazards)

Person getting shocked by electrical wires.

I’m not a fan of clickbait titles, but I do enjoy cheesy dad jokes so there’s that. Haha!

Seriously though…

An electrician shared this photo on Reddit of a damaged power strip. Someone plugged a heater into it, then it burned out one of the receptacles so they plugged the heater into the next one which also burned out, then they plugged into the next one and the electrician was called to check it out.

Burnt electrical cord and power strip

Good thing the electrician put a stop to that serious hazard. It probably would have further damaged the insulation and exposed someone to a shock or caused a fire.

Whether you’re at a job site, an office, home, or wherever, awareness of electrical hazards is crucial. SAFETY FIRST!

Here are a few cautionary tips to prevent common electrical hazards;

DO NOT simply plug a heater into an extension cord. (Unless the heater specifications allow it and you are sure that the cable is the correct size for the application, etc.) Same goes for any high-power appliances, heavy-duty tools, etc. Electrical devices typically have specified requirements for power connections and power cables have corresponding ratings.

DO NOT place electrical cables under carpets or rugs. This can cause the cord to overheat and possibly catch fire.

DO NOT daisy chain power strips by plugging them into each other. This can cause problem with circuit breakers and might be a fire hazard too.

As a rule of thumb, if an electrical cable is warm or hot to the touch, that’s a bad sign that something is probably wrong.

Always consult a qualified electrician when doing or finding anything out of the ordinary electrically.

People are shocked when they find out they're not very good electricians.

 

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