We all know how frustrating it is when a home appliance stops working and needs to be repaired or replaced. But if an appliance or electrical malfunction causes a house fire, injury or even electrocution, the situation can quickly escalate from an inconvenience to a crisis.

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is a nonprofit organization that promotes electrical safety in the home, school and workplace. ESFI designates each May as National Electrical Safety Month, which is aimed at reducing the number of electricity-related fires, fatalities, injuries and property loss. Electrical failures and malfunctions are a leading cause of house fires every year. Learning how to identify potential electrical hazards is one of the best ways to prevent fires and other related problems in your home.

Electricity can be dangerous, but thankfully most accidents involving electricity can be prevented. That’s why Victory Electric strives to educate our members about electrical safety not only during safety month but also year-round—and we take that mission very seriously.

Victory Electric’s commitment to safety begins with our own employees. Safety is integral to our training of lineworkers and other cooperative workers. At Victory Electric, we have an important responsibility to ensure our employees’ safety. Daily checks, monthly safety meetings and annual pole top rescue simulations are a few of the ways Victory makes sure our linemen and other technicians can safely provide electricity to our members.

You may not personally work around power lines regularly like a lineman, but that doesn’t mean you are immune from electrical dangers in the workplace. A recent study conducted by ESFI found that contact with or exposure to electricity remains one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities and injuries in the United States. You may be surprised to learn that 69% of the fatalities between 2011 and 2021 happened to workers in non-electrical occupations, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Our lineworkers provide electrical safety presentations at workplaces throughout the year to help minimize those dangers throughout the community. Our team can customize safety demonstrations to different workplaces, whether you work on a farm or ranch, at a construction site, in an office or for a fire department. We also conduct high voltage demonstrations for various community events, schools and other organizations. Victory Electric can cover topics such as how an electrical arc can happen, what causes your lights to blink, what an electrical contact can look like and what to do if you are in a car accident or other emergency that involves power lines. Knowing what to do—and what not to do—could save your life or that of a loved one.

We tailor our presentations for children to teach them about electrical hazards that exist outdoors and around their homes. Our linemen use active, engaging demonstrations to help kids understand the dangers of electricity, how electricity works and what they can do if they find themselves in a dangerous situation.

Victory Electric regularly shares electrical safety tips and videos on our Facebook and Instagram pages, too. We encourage you to follow us during National Electrical Safety Month and all year for safety tips for the whole family. We also have electrical safety articles and videos in the Power 101 section of our website, https://www.victoryelectric.net. Follow us at Facebook.com/VictoryElectric and Instagram.com/victoryelectric2022. To schedule an electrical safety demonstration or presentation at your workplace, school or civic organization, call Victory Electric at 620-227-2139 or fill out the form at https://www.victoryelectric.net/form/request-a-victory-electric-speak.

Thanks, Shane