Safety is a top priority for PSEG Long Island, and that’s why to recognize National Electric Safety Month (May), the company is sharing tips to keep customers safe from electric dangers and reminding them about its free safety education programs.
PSEG Long Island has created this safety education for adults and children as young as 5. Some can be tailored to support first responders in the medical, police and fire rescue disciplines. The company’s new Mobile Electric Safety Unit, Electric Safety Town presentation, Safety Sleuth school program, and Touch-a-Truck events are available by request for schools, camps, firehouses, and community events throughout Long Island and the Rockaways. Each presentation is adapted to each specific audience, providing real-life scenarios and educational tips to protect lives, homes, and property from electric mishaps.
The company’s new Mobile Electric Safety Unit is a three-quarter-scale model of the electric distribution system on a 40-foot-long, 15,000-pound trailer. It includes high voltage wires, poles and other structures and items that can be found around homes and neighborhoods. Using this tool, instructors from PSEG Long Island’s utility worker academy simulate scenarios, including a live wire down on a vehicle, an aluminum pool skimmer coming into contact with an overhead wire, a squirrel on the electric line shorting out the circuit, and a wire down on a metal fence. They also demonstrate the lifesaving importance of properly inspecting utility workers’ personal protective equipment. Attendees can see electricity arcing and flaming in these situations and see and hear what happens when a fuse blows out.
Electric Safety Town demonstrates concepts similar to what is provided by the Mobile Electric Safety Unit but on a smaller scale. It is appropriate for children in third through sixth grades and can be presented in school classrooms or at camping programs, club or organization meetings, or community events. The interactive program teaches the principles of electric safety using the model of a neighborhood, complete with a miniature two-story home, vehicles, power lines and other items for simulation. With actual scenarios of potential hazards, students learn about possible dangers in their own neighborhoods or in their daily life, and what to do if faced with such a situation.
PSEG Long Island’s Touch-a-Truck program is available to schools and camps across the service area. Lineworkers bring their utility trucks and teach participants about electric safety. They also show children how the truck and its components work, the safety gear the workers must wear while working and they answer questions to help the students understand electric safety and what it takes to be a utility worker. This program is appropriate for children up to approximately 10 years old. The youngsters enjoy being close up to a bucket truck as they get practical safety tips from PSEG Long Island’s first responders.
PSEG Long Island’s Safety Sleuth is an educational poster-creation program for first- to fourth-grade students. The electrical safety coursework provides age-appropriate lessons, such as staying safe around downed wires outside and around electrical outlets indoors, and it meets educational standards on these subjects. As part of the program, students are encouraged to create posters, which may be included in an online gallery and in a display at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Uniondale.
To learn more about or request any of these free programs, visit psegliny.com/inthecommunity.
In addition to these face-to-face community programs, PSEG Long Island also provides practical tips to help families stay safe from electricity hazards and dangers:
• Do not handle electric appliances where there is moisture and never use electric appliances in wet or damp areas unless they are specifically rated as such and “childprotected” by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
• Cover unused electrical outlets with plastic safety coverings to protect small children and pets from potential harm.
• Inspect all appliance cords and extension cords regularly to ensure that they are not frayed or broken. Ensure that cords do not run under rugs, through doorways or have furniture resting on them, as that could damage them.
• Never use water to put out an electric fire, because water acts as a conductor and can cause shock. Fire extinguishers rated “Class C” should be kept in the home and used for electric fires.
• Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor of the home, including basements and near each bedroom. Avoiding air vents and cooking areas, and ensure alarms near where people are sleeping are loud enough to wake them. They also should be tested regularly to ensure the alarm is functioning properly.
• Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Stay as far away as possible from them, and if possible keep others, children, and pets away from the wire. Do not drive over or stand near any downed wire. To report a downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number at 800-490-0075 or call 911.
For additional safety tips, visit psegliny.com/safetyandreliability/safetytips.
—Submitted by PSEGLI
