A Safe Year Starts With You
There's no better way to start a new year than with a fresh focus on safety. Refuse to cut corners and follow these energy safety tips to keep your home and family safe in 2013:
- Help your children develop an understanding of energy early in life at KidsActOnEnergy.com. There you’ll find fun, kid-friendly lessons on energy safety and energy efficiency.
- Never trust a downed power line. Even if it’s not sparking or arcing, assume it’s energized. Stay away and call Ameren Illinois immediately to report the situation.
- If you have young children, be sure to install tamper-resistant outlets in your house. They will keep a curious child from sticking a paper clip or toy in an outlet.
- From space heaters to holiday lights, choose and use equipment that has been safety tested and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories.
- If you smell an odor like rotten eggs, it could be a natural gas leak. Leave your home or business immediately and call Ameren Illinois. Do not turn lights on or off, operate any electrical devices, use a phone or light a match inside or near the building.
- When working on home improvement projects outside, keep yourself and equipment at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines.
- If you plan to install a backup generator, notify Ameren Illinois first and have a licensed electrician safely install it.
- Prepare for severe weather by creating a storm kit that includes items you may need in the event of a power outage or emergency. For a list of items to include, go to AmerenIllinois.com.
- Indoors or outdoors, never operate electrical devices or touch electrical switches, outlets or cords if you are wet or standing on a wet surface. Install Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) to protect against shock in any area where electricity could come into contact with water.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors in your home to protect your family from this invisible threat.
- Any time you’re planning an outdoor project that requires digging, call JULIE at 811 or visit Illinois1Call.com before you dig. JULIE will make sure that all buried utility-owned lines are marked so you can dig safely.
