Are Electrical Hazards Cooking in
Your Kitchen?
From coffeemakers
to toasters, blenders to waffle irons, microwaves to ovens — today’s modern
kitchen sports more electrical appliances than ever before. These appliances,
like other electrical devices in your home, need to be operated safely and
conscientiously in accordance with manufacturers’ guidelines. As an increasing
number of electrical appliances in our homes become necessities, our home’s
power circuits will grow more overloaded. This puts you and your family at risk.
To ensure you don’t have a potential safety hazard brewing in your kitchen,
Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative and the Leviton Institute urges you to
follow these important safety tips:
1. Unplug
kitchen appliances, like toasters and coffeemakers, when you’re not using them
and never allow appliances like a stove or microwave to remain running when you
leave home.
2. Never
use a fork, knife or other metal object that conducts electricity to clean
debris from “live” kitchen appliances such as toasters and toaster ovens.
For routine cleaning, make sure these appliances are switched off and
disconnected before you clean their internal parts.
3. Avoid
using electricity near water and other liquids. Clean up all spillages in or
around an electrical appliance after making sure the power supply has been
disconnected. Never submerge an appliance or its electrical cord or plug in
water or any other liquid.
4. Install
a sufficient number of GFCI’s in your kitchen. GFCI’s are designed to
prevent shock hazards by interrupting power if electrical current leaks from a
damaged cord or appliance.
5. Always
check your kitchen appliances for damaged cords or plugs before you use them.
Contact with a faulty or frayed power cord or a broken appliance can cause
electric shock. If an appliance malfunctions or appears to be damaged in any
way, make sure the appliance is disconnected from the power outlet and have it
repaired or replaced immediately.
6. Never
let power cords or plugs dangle over the edge of counters or come in contact
with hot surfaces. Dangling cords are a danger to small children who might pull
them. Kitchen appliances should never be placed near a hot gas or electric
burner.
In
recent years microwaves have become among one of the most popular kitchen
appliances. Be wary of the dangers associated with using them.
• To prevent
facial burns or exposure to radiation from a defective appliance, microwaves
should be kept high above the reach and eye level of children.
• Use
only containers and tableware stamped “microwave safe.” Cooking trays made
of metal or aluminum should never be used to heat meals. Never put aluminum foil
in a microwave since it can ignite.
• If
food you’re preparing catches on fire, unplug the cord immediately but do not
open the door. This will only feed oxygen to the fire. Wait for the fire to
extinguish then remove the contents from the oven.
• Always
use caution when removing items from your microwave. While your microwave stays
cool, what’s being cooked inside becomes very hot.