Electricity makes things work. You handle electricity safely everyday. You know how to switch on the TV, the stereo, and the lights. But if handled carelessly, electricity can be dangerous for two reasons:
- Electricity is always looking for the easiest path to the ground.
- It can flow through water, and your body is made mostly of water. Water is a very good conductor of electricity.
Electricity always takes the easiest path to the ground, and will travel there through anything that is a conductor. Conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow easily through them, such as metal, water, and the human body. Your body is 70% water. That's why your body can conduct electricity! So if you contact electricity while you are touching the ground (or something resting on the ground, like a ladder), your body can become electricity's path. You will be shocked or killed.
 Make sure your hands are dry before you touch anything electrical, even if you think it's turned off.
Keep electric cords and electric appliances away from water.
Use only a battery-powered radio near a swimming pool, bathtub or sink.
Use appliances and cords the way they were designed to be used so you don't
damage the insulation or contact live electrical parts.
Is Your Home Safe? Use this checklist to inspect your home with a parent or other adult.
- Overloaded outlets.
- Worn or frayed appliance cords or extension cords.
- Electric cords running under rugs or furniture legs.
- Kitchen or bathroom appliances used near water.
- Electric heaters close to anything that can burn.
- Circuit breakers that trip (or fuses that blow often).
Don't put more than 2 plugs in an outlet.
Don't use appliances with frayed cords.
Don't run cords under rugs or furniture legs.
Don't use appliances near water.
Don't sit electric heaters near things that can burn.
Don't put anything into plugs or appliances that are not meant to be there.
The amount of electric current (measured in amperes "amps") is what hurts or kills people. The pressure of the current (measured in volts) affects how you are hurt. Low voltage causes muscle spasms that can lock you to a circuit and cause death. A circuit is the path electricity travels. High voltage often blasts a person clear of the circuit, but the shock or fall can be fatal.
If you or your parents plan to dig or move earth in any way (even just planting a tree), make sure to call WG&L to locate underground power lines.
When you play outdoors, be sure to keep yourself and toys at least 10 feet away
from all overhead power lines. That includes the service drops that go from
power poles to buildings.
If you see a downed power line, stay far away and call Water, Gas and
Light immediately. Even if they are not sparking or humming, downed
lines can shock you if you touch them or the ground nearby.
Why Can Animals and Utility Workers Touch Power Lines and I Can't?
 Have you ever wondered why the birds and squirrels can touch power lines and don't get shocked? Electricity always looks for a path to the ground and the birds are not touching the ground. If you touched a power line while you were in contact with the ground, electricity would travel through you. And if your kite or balloon got tangled in a power line and you touched the string, electricity could travel down the string and into you on its way to the ground.
Utility workers go through a lot of training to work with electricity. They wear special insulated boots, hardhats, and gloves, and use special insulated tools that help prevent shock or injury. WG&L workers are very careful working around power lines and transformers. Do Not try to imitate them.
WG&L uses transformers to change the voltage of electricity. Transformers at power plants increase electricity's voltage so it can travel long distances over large transmission lines. Transformers in substations, on power poles, and on the ground reduce power line voltages to levels that can be safely used in homes and businesses.
Don't shoot at or throw things at transformers on power poles.
Stay out of substations, which contain transformers and other equipment
that can shock or kill you if you touch it.
Keep away from padmounted transformers. Report an unlocked
transformer to WG&L.
A typical lightning bolt carries 30 million volts of electricity- as much as 2.5 million car batteries. Lightning is attracted to metal, water, and tall objects, including trees, buildings, and people. About 100 people are killed and more than 1,000 people are injured by lightning in the U.S. each year.
Plan ahead so you don't get caught outside during a storm. If you see lightning or hear thunder, go indoors immediately. Lightning can travel through wiring and water pipes, so stay away from bathtubs, sinks, phones, and anything that uses electricity, like TVs,
computers, video games or appliances.
If you can't get indoors:
- GET into a hardtop car-not a convertible.
- STAY away from trees, tall objects, and anything metal.
- STAY away from rivers, lakes, and swimming pools.
- IF you are caught in the open, drop to your knees and bend forward, putting your hands on your knees. Do not lie down or put your hands on the ground.
A great site to visit for current lightning strikes is http://www.lightningstorm.com/
What To Do If Someone Has Been Shocked Or Burned By Electricity
You can help people who are in trouble. But in an electrical emergency, the hardest thing to remember is that the best help may be to stay away. If someone has been shocked, there's a chance they may still be in contact with the source of electricity. Do NOT touch the person or anything they are touching.
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Tell an adult to pull the plug from the outlet or to turn off the power.
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Call for help. Dial 911. Tell them it is an electrical accident.
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When you're sure there is no danger, tell an adult to give first aid for electrical injury.
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If the victim is not breathing, give CPR or mouth to mouth resuscitation.
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Loosen the victim's clothing. Keep the victim warm and lying down until help arrives.
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Don't touch the burns, break blisters, or remove burned clothing.
 What To Do In An Electrical Fire
Electrical fires are different than other fires because they have a source of electricity that is still conducting electric current. Because water conducts electricity, throwing water on an electrical fire can cause the fire to get larger. Never use water on an electrical fire.
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Tell an adult to turn off the main power to the house.
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Use a proper chemical fire extinguisher. If the fire cannot be put out safely, leave the house.
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Dial 911 and tell them it is an electrical fire.
Plan an emergency escape route with your family.
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