A Plug for Electric Safety

book vity ti e! w ac A ne kids saf : e Insid lp keep to he

Electricity is a remarkable service that makes our lives easier and more fun. However, when used improperly, electricity can be deadly. The suggestions in this brochure can help keep you and your loved ones safe. When you see this symbol tion with your children. , please share the informa-

For more information about electrical safety, visit us at www.consumersenergy.com.

Emergency Information
In case of an emergency, such as a fallen power line or a power outage, call us right away, day or night, at (800) 477-5050. Make sure your house number is visible from the road day or night, so we can find your home quickly in an emergency.

Identification Badges
All of our employees and our contractors carry an identification (ID) badge with their name and photo. Never let anyone into your home if they cant or wont show you an ID badge or if you have any doubts about them. Instead, call us or the police.

Table o fC
Home Safety

ontents

Appliances .............................................................................5 Portable Heaters ...............................................................5 Cords, Plugs, Fuses and Circuit Breakers .............5 Lighting ....................................................................................6 Power Tools ..........................................................................7 Electrical Fires .....................................................................7

Outdoor Safety
Home and Yard ..................................................................9 Power Lines ..........................................................................9 Meters and Other Electrical Equipment .......... 10 MISS DIG ............................................................................ 11

Storm Safety
Before a Storm ............................................................... 13 During a Storm ............................................................... 13 When Power Goes Out ............................................ 13 Generators ........................................................................ 13 Life Support Equipment ............................................ 14

Appliances
Before using a new appliance, read the manufacturers directions about safe operation and care. Keep the instructions handy. If an appliance overheats or sparks when you turn it on, unplug it immediately and have it repaired or replaced. If someone receives a shock from a faulty appliance and is still touching it, dont touch the person, appliance, cord or plug. You could get a shock, too. To avoid a shock, never put a metal knife, fork or other object into a toaster thats plugged in. Always unplug your electric appliances before cleaning them. Dont touch electrical appliances, circuit breakers or fuses if your hands are wet or youre standing on a wet floor. You could receive a serious injury or deadly shock.

Keep radios, hair dryers, razors and other electrical appliances away from sinks, bathtubs, showers and other sources of water. Before you go into a flooded home or basement, call us. Well turn off our service temporarily so you can work safely.

Portable Heaters
Keep the heater away from curtains, drapes and bedspreads anything that could catch fire and away from sinks, bathtubs and other wet areas. For greatest efficiency, keep the heaters temperature set at the lowest position youre comfortable with. Plug the heater directly into the wall outlet. Most extension cords arent designed for the heaters heavy current. Always unplug a portable heater when youre not using it.

Cords, Plugs, Fuses and Circuit Breakers

Dont run electrical cords through doorways from one room to another or under carpets, cushions or other flammable materials. Keep furniture off cords. Connect large appliances, such as your stove, refrigerator or window air conditioner, directly to wall outlets with their own cords. Remember to unplug the iron after each use; forgetting could cause a fire. Keep cords away from hot surfaces, such as toasters, heaters or deep fryers.
5

Cords, Plugs, Fuses and Circuit Breakers continued

Be sure plugs fit tightly into wall outlets. Loose-fitting plugs could overheat and start a fire. Dont wrap cords around appliances When you disconnect a tool or applior metal pipes when the appliances ance, pull the plug, not the cord. are plugged in, and keep them away Install safety covers on all unused outfrom areas where they may get wet. lets if you have small children in your Never put nails or tacks through home or small children visit often. cords. You could get a shock or create Only use fuses that are correctly sized a fire hazard. for the circuits. If fuses burn out or your circuit breaker trips repeatedly, you may be using more appliances than your wiring can safely handle. Turn off the electricity whenever you work on your fuse or circuit panels. We recommend having your wiring checked by a licensed electrician if: - Toasters or irons dont get as hot as they Use light bulbs that are the should. correct number of watts for - Your TV picture shrinks the fixture. Bulbs that are too when other appliances are powerful may overheat turned on. and cause a fire. - You use extension cords because there arent enough outlets. - The lights in your home dim or If an extension cord gets hot, stop brighten often. using it immediately. If the cord is defective, replace it. If the instructions - Youve remodeled or increased the size of your home. for the appliance indicate the cord is too small, buy a larger cord. Lighting A blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker are signs that too many cords For holiday lighting: may be plugged into one wall outlet. - Check each light string before use. To avoid shocks, never put anything Throw light strings away if they have except a plug into an outlet when the frayed cords, damaged plugs and power is on. light sockets or loose connections. - Replace broken bulbs.
6

Lighting continued
- Use smaller bulbs; they generate less heat and are less likely to dry out a real tree. - Connect lights to power strips that have several outlets and their own circuit breaker. If possible, use several outlets. - Use extension cords rated #14 or #16. - Dont decorate a metal tree with tinsel or electric lights. A power surge or electrical problem in the wiring could electrify the tree. If you touch it, you could be seriously injured. Use floodlights instead. - To avoid a shock, never touch tree lights or electric decorations when your hands are wet. - Always turn off and unplug the lights before you go to bed or leave home.

Be sure your homes electrical wiring is enough to support your power tools. Make sure the electricity is off and you know where electrical wiring is located before drilling into a wall.

Electrical Fires
If an electric appliance catches fire, try to unplug it or turn off the power at the circuit breaker or fuse box. Have at least one fire extinguisher approved for all types of household fires (ABC type) and keep it handy. NOTE: Some fire extinguishers are not safe for use around electricity. If you dont have a fire extinguisher, sprinkle baking soda on the flame.

Power Tools
Plug tools into outlets with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) or use portable GFCIs. To prevent shocks, use power tools with double insulation or with three-prong plugs and grounding receptacles. When needed, use a three-prong extension cord that is moisture-proof and can handle the current needed by your tools.

Unplug power tools, insect lights or other electric appliances before cleaning them.

OUTDOOR SAFETY

Home and Yard

Direct outside bulbs downward to keep moisture out of the sockets. When hanging lights outside, use insulated staples or ornament hooks. Nails or tacks can tear the insulation around the wiring, causing a shock or fire hazard. Cover outdoor plugs and connectors with friction tape or plastic wrap to protect them from snow or water. Seal ends well with tape. If possible, use outlets controlled by switches so you wont have to disconnect a damp cord from a live circuit. If you use an outdoor display with an electric motor, make sure its on solid ground; use a three-prong extension cord thats moisture proof, if needed. If its raining or the ground is wet, dont use an electric lawn mower or power tools. Keep them away from sprinklers and other sources of water. Be careful when working with power tools near water, such as on a dock.

Never use a stereo, telephone, TV or other electrical appliance near a swimming pool or hot tub. If the appliance falls in the water while its plugged in, you could be electrocuted. Make sure outdoor outlets have covers that close when not in use.

Power Lines
Stay away from fallen or sagging power lines and never touch anything a power line is touching, such as broken branches, a car, bicycle, even another person. If you touch anything thats in contact with a power line, the electricity will flow through you, causing serious injury or death. Report a fallen power line immediately to us at (800) 477-5050 or the police. If youre in a vehicle that comes in contact with a power line, stay calm and stay put. If a life or death situation forces you to leave, jump away from your vehicle keeping both feet together. Make sure you dont touch the car and the ground at the same time. After you are out of your car, dont touch the car. Warn others to stay clear of your vehicle. Dont let water from a garden hose or sprinkler touch overhead electrical lines. The electricity in the lines could follow the water to the ground where youre standing. Make sure the antenna on your house wont contact a power line or touch a power line if it falls over. When towing a sail boat, lower the mast and secure it well. Watch for power lines when sailing, launching or bringing your boat ashore.
9

Electrical codes limit the use of holiday decorative lighting and similar displays to no longer than 90 consecutive days.

Power Lines continued

object, or if you tie pets to it or hang hoses on it, you could damage the me Fly kites and model airplanes away ter or interrupt service to your home. from antennas, electric lines and Never tamper with a meter or electric substations. If they become tangled in lines its dangerous and its against power equipment, they could cause the law. Tampering could result in seripersonal injury, a fire or a power ous injury or property damage. If you outage. Dont try to retrieve them if suspect someone of tampering with a they do become tangled. meter, please call us immediately. Keep ladders, poles, pipes, truck If you need to have our electric meter booms and other equipment at least moved, please call us. 10 feet from power lines. Watch out for guy wires, anchors, Never trim or climb a tree that has rods and poles when youre plowpower lines running through it. Tree ing or mowing. Loose or broken guy branches can conduct electricity. If wires can become energized and cause branches are tangled in our power power lines to sag and poles to break. lines, call us to have them removed. If you notice a loose or broken guy Never place a swimming pool under wire, call us. power lines. If you see this warning sign, Danger High Voltage Keep Away, stay clear. Meters and Other Electrical We place these signs near electrical Equipment equipment, such as transformers and substations, with dangerously high If you bump our electric meter with a voltages. lawn mower, snow blower or heavy Please dont hang signs and posters on our power poles. Nails, staples or jagged wood can tear the protective clothing worn by our employees to prevent them from receiving an electric shock. Our electric line employees wear special boots and use climbing hooks to help them climb poles to inspect and repair electric lines. If the hooks hit a nail, it could cause a line worker to fall. In case of an emergency, we may need to get to our meter quickly. Keep the Never climb poles or meter clear of ice and snow, icicles, towers. You could be tools, woodpiles, bushes, debris and seriously injured or other large objects. killed by electricity or by a fall.
10

MISS DIG
At least three working days before you or your contractor dig for any reason, call MISS DIG at (800) 482-7171. MISS DIG contacts utilities to mark underground public service lines, such as electric, natural gas, cable TV and other service lines, with brightly colored flags. Consumers Energy posts yellow flags near underground natural gas lines and red flags near underground electric lines. Blue flags indicate water lines. Orange flags mark telephone and cable lines. Brown flags indicate sewer lines. This free service can help ensure your safety. Ask kids to Respect the Flags and leave utility flags alone. If they see someone pulling them out, they should tell an adult. The adult should call MISS DIG to have the flag placed in the right spot. Be sure you mark any service lines youve installed, such as sprinkler systems and low-voltage lighting.

11

Before a Storm
Keep a flashlight, battery-powered radio and fresh batteries handy. During a widespread power outage, well broadcast power restoration updates on local radio stations. Plus, if you can get to a location that has power and Internet access, you can report outages and receive restoration updates at www.consumersenergy.com Store extra fuses near your fuse box and label fuses and circuits according to the outlets they serve. Unplug your sensitive electronics (TV, VCR, DVD, microwave or home computer) before the storm begins to prevent lightning damage.

When Power Goes Out

See if your neighbors have power. If they do, check to see if you have a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker. If the power is out in your neighborhood, look for fallen wires, broken utility poles or tree limbs on a power line and stay clear of them. Report your outage online and receive restoration updates at www. consumersenergy.com. Or, call us at (800) 477-5050. Our automated phone system or a customer service representative will answer your call. We can serve you faster if you have your account number handy. Also, please tell us if you have a serious health or safety problem in your home.

During a Storm
If youre indoors, dont use a phone connected to a wall outlet except for an emergency. Lightning can travel through the phone wires into your body. Use a cell phone instead. Dont take a bath, shower or swim during a thunderstorm. Stay away from fallen power lines and anything that may be touching them. The power line could be carrying dangerous amounts of electricity. Anything around the power line, including the ground, could be energized. Stay at least 25 feet away. Dont stand under trees, in water or touch anything metal, and never operate a tractor, riding lawn mower or bicycle. If lightning strikes a tree, golf club, fence or other object youre touching, you could be seriously injured or killed. Seek safe shelter. If none is available, lie in a ravine or drop to your knees and curl your head forward with your hands over the back of your head.

Home Generators
Before permanently installing a generator, contact a licensed electrical contractor. The final installation must be approved by an electrical inspector. Make sure the generator is electrically isolated from Consumers Energys electrical system.

Portable Generators
Never disconnect our electric meter. Start the generator before connecting appliances or equipment. Connect appliances to the generator using flexible extension cords with current ratings adequate for the appliances served. Never operate more equipment and appliances than the output rating of the generator.

13

Portable Generators continued

Alternate your appliances to stay within your portable generators output. Never plug a portable generator into a wall outlet. You could damage your homes wiring. Never operate a generator in your home, garage, basement or any other enclosed area. Always use your generator in a dry, well-ventilated outdoor location to prevent deadly carbon monoxide from entering your home. Place the generator at least three to four feet from an enclosed area and away from doors, windows and fresh air intakes where exhaust fumes and carbon monoxide can enter the home. Turn the generator off and let it cool before refueling.

Life Support Equipment

If someone in your home depends on electrically powered life-support equipment prescribed by a doctor, such as a respirator, apnea monitor or kidney dialysis machine the Red Cross Identification Program may help. The American Red Cross helps prepare a personal emergency plan to follow in the event of a power outage. The plan describes how to arrange for backup equipment and identifies actions to take during a power outage or another emergency. For an application form, call us at (800) 477-5050. After you return your completed application to us, well notify the American Red Cross to send you the information to get started. NOTE: Backup generators and transportation services are not part of this program. Participation in this program does not mean your electric services will be restored sooner than other customers.

Follow all of the manufacturers instructions and precautions before starting and operating your generator.
14

www.consumersenergy.com

One Energy Plaza Jackson, MI 49201-2276

62-52696 15191 30M 11/05