THE BODY IS A CONDUCTOR The human body is made up of water, chemicals, and minerals, which make excellent conductors. Passage of electrical current depends on simultaneous contact between two different voltage levels. Accidental bridge between any parts of the body creates an electrical circuit, providing a direct path of least resistance to the ground. CIRCUIT PROTECTION DEVICES A circuit protection device is an electrical device that protects against circuit malfunction. The circuit protection device includes: •Fuses •Circuit breakers •Ground-fault circuit interrupters CURRENT OVERLOADS •Equipment malfunctions or overheats •Too many electrical appliances on the same circuit •Temporary power surge in the circuit from lightning or electrical motor start up •Conductor insulation between two elements melted or worn through, creating a short circuit RESETTING CIRCUIT PROTECTION DEVICES When electrical power is interrupted, always use the following procedures: •Replace fuse or reset the breaker. •Wait to see if power stays on . •Check for heat, smoke and unusual odor. •Do not replace fuse or reset breaker a second time until problem has been found and corrected. •Never overload a multi-outlet adapter which may be plugged into one wall socket. •Never bypass bridge or disable a circuit protection device. •Never put a penny into a fuse socket to replace a blown fuse. •Never replace a circuit protection device in an energized or live circuit. •Always insure that the power is safely turned off.	DONT GET BURNED Electrical fires in our homes claim the lives of 485 Americans each year and injure 2,305 more. Some of these fires are caused by electrical system failures and appliance defects, but many more are caused by the misuse and poor maintenance of electrical appliances, incorrectly installed wiring, and overloaded circuits and extension cords. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) would like consumers to know that there are simple steps you can take to prevent the loss of life and property resulting from electrical fires. THE PROBLEM During a typical year, home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in property losses. Home electrical wiring causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances. THE FACTS December is the most dangerous month for electrical fires. Fire deaths are highest in winter months which call for more indoor activities and increase in lighting, heating, and appliance use. Most electrical wiring fires start in the bedroom. THE CAUSE: ELECTRICAL WIRING Most electrical fires result from problems with "fixed wiring" such as faulty electrical outlets and old wiring. Problems with cords and plugs, such as extension and appliance cords, also cause many home electrical fires. In urban areas, faulty wiring accounts for 33% of residential electrical fires. Many avoidable electrical fires can be traced to misuse of electric cords, such as overloading circuits, poor maintenance and running the cords under rugs or in high traffic areas. HOME APPLIANCES The home appliances most often involved in electrical fires are electric stoves and ovens, dryers, central heating units, televisions, radios and record players. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS Routinely check your electrical appliances and wiring. Frayed wires can cause fires. Replace all worn, old or damaged appliance cords immediately. Use electrical extension cords wisely and don't overload them. Keep electrical appliances away from wet floors and counters; pay special care to electrical appliances in the bathroom and kitchen. When buying electrical appliances look for products which meet the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) standard for safety. Don't allow children to play with or around electrical appliances like space heaters, irons and hair dryers. Keep clothes, curtains and other potentially combustible items at least three feet from all heaters. If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord. Never overload extension cords or wall sockets. Immediately shut off, then professionally replace, light switches that are hot to the touch and lights that flicker. Use safety closures to "child-proof" electrical outlets. Check your electrical tools regularly for signs of wear. If the cords are frayed or cracked, replace them. Replace any tool if it causes even small electrical shocks, overheats, shorts out or gives off smoke or sparks. Finally, having a working smoke alarm dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire. And remember to practice a home escape plan frequently with your family.	THREE PRONG ADAPTERS BANNED For many years there have been adapter plugs for sale, mostly in the discount stores, that allow 3 prong (grounded) plugs to used with 2 prong (ungrounded) receptacles. These are sometimes called “ cheater plugs ” . They are commonly used in homes with older 2 prong (2 wire) receptacles. Some adapter plugs for sale have no approval marks or labels such as CSA or cUL directly on the device. Recently there have been devices that have a cUL approval on the item ,which for most electrical items would be acceptable. It should be noted that for all electrical devices the approval label or mark must be directly on the device, not just the package. The cUL approval mark with the small “c ” indicates that the device complies with the applicable Canadian standard. UL by itself is approved for the United States only. Any electrical device for sale in Canada requires the small “c” next to the UL. The Canadian standard CSA C22.2-42-99- General Use Receptacles, Attachment Plugs and Similar Wiring Devices is the standard for which these types of devices would be required to meet in order to be approved for Canada. Section 4.4 -Adapters and Current Taps, clause 4.4.2 of the above standard indicates that 2-wire to 3-wire adapters are not acceptable. Therefore these adapter plugs are not approved for use in Canada. The cUL approval label in this case has been misapplied and the device should never have any acceptable Canadian label or mark on the device applied in the first place. Therefore 3 prong adapter plugs are banned effectively immediately from being sold in Nova Scotia even if they bear what appears to be an acceptable approval mark or label on the device. Consumers should realize that these adapter plugs provide no effective bonding (grounding) of an electrical device that has a 3 prong plug and may cause a fire or shock hazard in the event the electrical device is defective or fails. Almost all 2 prong receptacles, unless recently rewired ,are not properly bonded. Connecting the tab of the adapter plug to the screw of the receptacle does not provide any safety features against shock and such an installation may damage sensitive electronic equipment where a ground connection is required. In order to provide some safety against shock, where older 2 wire receptacles exist, it is recommended to have an electrician install a 3 prong ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacle to replace the existing 2 prong receptacle and reuse the existing 2 wire installation. To provide the proper type of installation per the electrical code and where sensitive electronic equipment must have a ground connection the electrician should install a new 3 wire feed which has the required bond (ground) wire and new 3 prong receptacles as required. Consumers should never remove the ground pin of a plug in order to have it fit into a 2 prong receptacle as this may create a shock or fire hazard.