Electric safety, room by room

Kitchen safety

Look for the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) label when buying appliances.
Ensure that your stove and sink areas are well lighted.
Make sure your hands are dry before operating electrical appliances.
Replace damaged electrical appliances and extension cords.
Keep a fire extinguisher near your kitchen area.
Install anti-scald devices in the kitchen sink, bath and shower. There are several on the market that will shut the water off when it exceeds a certain temperature.

Know where your main gas and water valves are (and how to close them).
Clearly mark gas and water lines.
Know how to light the pilot light on gas appliances.
Call the gas company if you suspect a gas leak.
Know where your main electric switch is and how to turn it off.
Become familiar with the proper fuse ratings for your electrical circuits.
Ensure that fuses or circuit breakers are correctly labeled.
Always determine why a fuse has blown or a circuit breaker tripped and eliminate the cause before correcting.
Have extra fuses on hand, and turn off the main switch before changing a fuse.
Ensure your washer and dryer are electrically grounded.
Keep combustibles, such as clothes in closets, kept away from hot light bulbs.

Areas with heavy traffic should be well lit.
Install night lights in bedrooms for children and guests.
Your home should have plenty of wall outlets for lamps and appliances to prevent octopus connections.
Regularly inspect and test smoke detectors.
Ensure stairways are well lighted with switches at top and bottom.

Remove any appliances around the sink or bathtub area. If you have a hair dryer, electric shaver, or other appliance on a nearby counter top, unplug it when bathing a child as a precaution.
Even when an appliance is turned off, electricity is still present within it. Therefore, if an appliance falls in water, unplug it; never try to pull it out of the water while it is plugged in.
When filling the bathtub for your child's bath, turn on the cold water first, then add hot water to it. When the tub is at the desired level, turn off the hot water first, and then turn off the cold water.
Before putting a child in the bathtub, feel the water. If the water feels warm to you, it may be too hot for them.
Don't put children in the bathtub when the water is running, and never leave them alone in a bath, even for a minute.
Install night-lights in bathrooms for children and elderly persons.
You can also install pressure balance anti-scalding valves to keep the temperature of running water consistent even when the water pressure changes.

A workshop should be well lighted and ventilated.
Always keep tools out of reach of children.
Extension cords should have adequate capacity for the wattage of the tool or appliance you want to use.
Tools should be properly grounded or double-insulated.
When not in use, disconnect power tools (or lock the switches).
Wear eye protection when working with tools.
Be sure your garage is well lighted with switches at the doors.
Regularly inspect your garage door for safe operation.
Keep water heaters at or below 120 degrees. If you can't change the setting, ask a qualified plumbing contractor to do it, or call your landlord and ask him or her to do it.