Take Steps to Avoid Electrical Fires | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Its summer time and many Virginia (VA) residents are enjoying the great weather by having cookouts by utilizing electric grills and other electric devices. However, these devices pose a risk for electrical fires.

Cooking accounted for 31 percent of all residential structure fires in the Commonwealth, a 3 percent increase from 2007, according to a 2009 report from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. Heating-related fires were the next-most-common cause at 16 percent.

Our law firm, which only deals with injury law, has dealt with clients hurt by electric fires and other electric malfunctions, so this is an important issue to be cognizant of.

Here are some important safety tips to prevent electrical fires, from ehow.com:

·Replace frayed cords and badly wired plugs. If you can see the colored wires sticking out of the plug, they are probably loose. Bad wiring on electrical appliances is one of the leading causes of home fires.

·Refrain from overloading sockets. Plugging too many items into one socket will cause it to overheat. Adding an electrical adapter to plug three items into one socket isn’t the answer. It’s actually the problem.

·Make sure you use the correct size fuse. Using the wrong one could cause it to overheat. If you don’t know what size to use, check the manufacturer’s manual that came with the appliance.

 

About the Editors: Shapiro & Appleton& Duffan personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

 

PA