How to Master Do It Yourself Electrical Safety

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Electrical safety is without question

   And just like anything we do in life, fear comes from ‘not knowing’.
   
   So imagine what you could accomplish if you could perform home wiring safely and confidently.
   
   Imagine saving thousands of dollars over the years, if you could do-it-yourself!
2. 2

   Step 2: the most important aspect of any electrical work.

   It’s very important that you do not get in a hurry.
   
   Make sure that you have planned your project adequately, and that you’ve allowed plenty of time to complete your project, or at least if you have to pull off of it and come back to it later, that you find a suitable stopping point, and that you can do without the circuit that you’re working on. , It’s not only dangerous.
   
   It is lethal.
   
   Shut the power off to any circuit that you are working on. (This means turn the power off at the circuit breaker panel.
   
   Just switching off a wall switch does not turn off the power in the wires.) Confirm the power is off with a simple pocket tester, a multi-meter, or lamp, blow dryer or another similar appliance. ,, Fiberglass ladders are non-conductive.
   
   Don’t use an aluminum ladder.
   
   Spend the money for a good fiberglass stepladder. ,, Never work barefoot or in socks or slippers, and don’t assume that it’s safe to work without rubber-soled shoes on concrete floors.
   
   Concrete is conductive, particularly when it’s damp (a good reason to never load or unload your washing machine while you’re barefoot). , Even if by definition it’s called an insulator. (A conductor allows the flow of electrons, and an insulator resists the flow of electrons). , OSHA requires us as contractors to lock it off, and tag it out with a procedure called lock out/tag out.
   
   It involves red tags and devices that will lock the breaker off to prevent it from being turned on. (If you have your panel cover off, remember that even when you turn breakers off, there are still energized components in the panel itself!). , or “Danger�?, or something similar, so anybody who approaches that panel will see that, and immediately know what’s going on. ,, Put your other hand either in your pocket or behind your back, and that’s a good practice to develop anyway.
   
   What that does is keeps you from grabbing a circuit with two hands and providing a path for the electricity to flow through your heart. ,, It is well worth spending a little extra money to purchase quality tools.
   
   I’m referring to hand tools like your lineman pliers, screwdrivers, wire strippers, and other hand tools that you will use for electrical work.
   
   For instance, Good wire strippers will prevent you from nicking or skinning the wires.
   
   Good screwdrivers will prevent slipping out of screw heads or rounding them out.
   
   You get my point; good tools not only improve the quality of your workmanship, but improve your confidence as well.
   
   So don’t skimp on tools.
   
   You can stock your tool pouch with good quality tools for $100 or less.
3. 3

   Step 3: It really just takes a common sense approach

4. 4

   Step 4: but just as important; it demands your undivided attention.

5. 5

   Step 5: All it takes is one mistake – and some think that 120 volts is not dangerous.

6. 6

   Step 6: Keep a flashlight near your electrical panel at all times

7. 7

   Step 7: just in case of a power loss.

8. 8

   Step 8: Use fiberglass ladders for any electrical work that you do.

9. 9

   Step 9: Never work on electrical systems in the rain

10. 10

    Step 10: or in damp or wet locations

11. 11

    Step 11: or where power is not completely shut off.

12. 12

    Step 12: The best type of shoes are rubber-soled shoes

13. 13

    Step 13: and when possible stand on a rubber mat

14. 14

    Step 14: or dry wooden floors or sub-floors.

15. 15

    Step 15: Anything can conduct electricity if the conditions are right.

16. 16

    Step 16: When you turn off the power to a breaker

17. 17

    Step 17: tape that breaker off.

18. 18

    Step 18: In your home

19. 19

    Step 19: at minimum put tape over the breaker

20. 20

    Step 20: red tape if you have it

21. 21

    Step 21: then close your service panel cover

22. 22

    Step 22: and put a piece of masking tape across the cover

23. 23

    Step 23: or a sign that says

24. 24

    Step 24: “Do Not Open

25. 25

    Step 25: Furthermore

26. 26

    Step 26: inform your family members that you are doing electrical work so that

27. 27

    Step 27: if you’ve got teenagers or kids that are capable of turning breakers back on

28. 28

    Step 28: they are completely aware that you are working on the electrical system.

29. 29

    Step 29: If you are working with fuse panels instead of breaker panels; when you remove a fuse

30. 30

    Step 30: use only one hand to remove it.

31. 31

    Step 31: electricity can still flow through one hand and one foot and pass through your heart

32. 32

    Step 32: but if you’ve taken the other precautions I mentioned above

33. 33

    Step 33: you will minimize your exposure to that hazard.

34. 34

    Step 34: Another important aspect of safety that frequently goes unmentioned is tool use.

Detailed Guide

About the Author