LG&E and KU offer 15 important tips during National Electrical Safety Month
(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – During National Electrical Safety Month, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company are offering 15 important tips to keep you safe whether you’re at home, at work, outdoors or during a power outage.
Safety is paramount at LG&E and KU, and the utilities continuously train employees, contractors and emergency responders on how to safely respond to situations involving electricity. The utilities also offer an extensive online library of information for customers and community partners about electric safety, the power restoration process and general tips about what to do during an outage.
Follow these tips and stay safe around electricity, electric equipment and power lines.
Indoor electric safety
- Check electrical cords for worn spots or frayed wires and replace any damaged cords.
- Never overload an extension cord or plug one extension cord into another. Too many appliances or devices plugged into a single extension cord can cause overheating which can lead to fire. In fact, extension cords should only be used where and when necessary.
- Don’t run an extension cord under carpets or rugs. This can cause them to overheat and catch fire. Avoid running them under furniture as this can damage the insulating cover.
- Keep flammable materials away from lamps and heaters. Place electric space heaters away from well-traveled areas to prevent others from tripping or falling over them.
- Install safety covers over unused outlets to prevent small children from playing with them.
Outdoor electric safety
- Only use electrical products that are marked for outdoor use.
- Always be alert when working in the vicinity of power lines.
- Always be aware of the location of overhead and underground power lines at all times to avoid injury.
- Carry extension ladders parallel to the ground and check for the location of overhead power lines before setting the ladder upright.
- Have underground utility lines marked at least two full business days before doing any digging. Call 811 or visit kentucky811.org to submit a locate request. KU is a member utility in certain parts of its service territory. In areas where KU is not a member utility of the 811 service, customers need to contact KU directly to request an underground electric line locate service. Once all lines have been marked, keep at least two feet away from either side of the markings.
During a power outage
- Assume any fallen wires and anything that may be in contact, such as a tree limb, may be energized. Stay away, keep others away and report it immediately to your utility.
- When power outages occur, LG&E and KU customers can use the utilities’ mobile app to access and keep track of near real-time outage information on the utilities’ online outage map. Customers can also use the app to report their outage and more.
Keeping the doors closed as much as possible will conserve the cold inside your refrigerator and freezer and keep your food fresher longer. You may want to put any medicine that needs to be refrigerated in a cooler with an ice pack.
- Camp stoves and charcoal grills should never be used indoors because they can produce deadly fumes.
- When using portable generators, always follow the manufacturer's instructions and operate the generator outside in a well-ventilated area.
- Whether at home or work, develop an emergency plan involving each person at your location so you’ll know how and where to meet, how you will contact each other and what to do in different situations.
Visit lge-ku.com/safety for more safety tips and additional resources.
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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve more than 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 334,000 natural gas and 433,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 569,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.
