In light of Mother’s Day, and the start of National Electrical Safety month, we have put together 4 easy steps on how to childproof your home against electrical hazards:

1. Perception: Begin by viewing your home from your child's perspective. What are the areas they can realistically reach? Where do they like to play? Take this into consideration, and begin by removing hazardous objects.

2. Outlets: Make sure all outlets are appropriately covered. You can cover your outlet with plastic fillers, outlet boxes, or even switch to self closing outlet covers. There are many options out there, so choose what is best for you.

○ Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI): We also recommend going one step further and having GFCI’s installed on top of this as well. This is because GFCI’s act as a second layer of protection against ground faults by quickly shutting off electric power and interrupting the current.

3. Cords: There are lots of different ways to protect against any cords running through your home. If you are worried that your child might get entangled in the wires you can hide them behind furniture, wind them around objects, wrap the excess up etc. If you are worried that your child might chew through a cord, you can use a cord protector as a second safety layer.

4. Education: Take time to discuss electrical safety with your family. Answer any questions and address any misunderstandings they might have. There are many free educational resources out there you can utilize during this process.

20% of all electrical related injuries involve children, so it is important to ensure that your home is child proofed, and that all electrical hazards are taken care of. If you have any additional questions, or need help with electrical safety contact us online or call today at (210) 899-2430.