Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Graduate
group
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Joshua Henderson, graduate Derek Centrone, junior
Lead Presenter's Name
Joshua Henderson
Faculty Mentor Name
Yanbing Chen
Abstract
The household, although it’s a comfortable and relaxing environment, can in fact be riddled with everyday hazards that homeowners and residents overlook or are too complacent in acknowledging or even recognizing their presence. One such common oversight is electrical hazards. This may be due to the high usage of electricity in people’s day-to-day lives, especially since the perceived risk of electrical hazards by the public can be very low. In a household, there are many hazards present each and every day. One such hidden deadly hazard is electricity. While on the surface it doesn’t seem that dangerous, in reality, it can be deadly if used incorrectly or the hazard is not recognized. Some common electrical hazards to be aware of in the household include faulty equipment, appliances plugged in near water sources, unprotected electrical outlets, poor usage of extension cords, and overloaded electrical outlets. Faulty household equipment is one of the greatest hazards in relation to electricity. This is typically due to older equipment or appliances in the house being used when they are clearly damaged or are not working as designed. Appliances plugged in near water sources are yet another common household electrical hazard. When appliances are near water sources, it is important to keep in mind that water is conducive. This means that if your appliance is in too close proximity to electricity, it can produce a fire and electrocution hazard. Unprotected electrical outlets can also be a great hazard. Some hazards from this include pets or children trying to play with unprotected outlets causing potential electrocution. Poor usage of extension cords can include plugging in extension cord into another to make it longer, using one for an appliance with a higher wattage than the cord is rated, and having clutter on or near the cord. Each of these can pose a fire hazard, overheating wires, and tripping hazard. Overloaded electrical outlets also pose a great threat to the household. Some of the hazards of this include damaged electrical wires, overheating, and starting fires. All of these hazards can cause substantial damage, injury, or worse loss of life if the hazards are overlooked, and no corrective actions are taken. However, there are plenty of preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of damage and increase awareness of electrical safety in the household. The household is riddled with many hazards that can cause a multiple of things such as substantial damage, injury, death, or even a total loss of the house. This is why it is very important to understand the hazards and implement preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of an event occurring. Some of these preventative measures that can be performed at home include inspecting electrical equipment commonly used in the household, removing electrical equipment away from conductive sources, avoiding usage of multiple high consumption appliances in the same outlet, covering open electrical outlets, and ensuring the proper usage of extension cords. Each of these preventative measures can reduce the likelihood of something substantial happening in the household. While some of the fixes can be one and done others require diligence to ensure that the hazard doesn’t cause damage or death. The household does contain numerous everyday hazards that are overlooked or are considered minimal enough risk that they could never cause anything to happen. However, while most of the time there will not be something substantial that happens, the hazards still exist lying in wait until a sequence of events happen that cause an accident, damage, injury, or death. That is why the key to electrical safety in the household is to recognize the hazards, understand their severity, and understand ways to prevent them from causing damage to the household. This is an active process that includes everyone residing in the household to ensure everyone stays safe from electrical hazards.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Best Practices for Electrical Safety at Home
The household, although it’s a comfortable and relaxing environment, can in fact be riddled with everyday hazards that homeowners and residents overlook or are too complacent in acknowledging or even recognizing their presence. One such common oversight is electrical hazards. This may be due to the high usage of electricity in people’s day-to-day lives, especially since the perceived risk of electrical hazards by the public can be very low. In a household, there are many hazards present each and every day. One such hidden deadly hazard is electricity. While on the surface it doesn’t seem that dangerous, in reality, it can be deadly if used incorrectly or the hazard is not recognized. Some common electrical hazards to be aware of in the household include faulty equipment, appliances plugged in near water sources, unprotected electrical outlets, poor usage of extension cords, and overloaded electrical outlets. Faulty household equipment is one of the greatest hazards in relation to electricity. This is typically due to older equipment or appliances in the house being used when they are clearly damaged or are not working as designed. Appliances plugged in near water sources are yet another common household electrical hazard. When appliances are near water sources, it is important to keep in mind that water is conducive. This means that if your appliance is in too close proximity to electricity, it can produce a fire and electrocution hazard. Unprotected electrical outlets can also be a great hazard. Some hazards from this include pets or children trying to play with unprotected outlets causing potential electrocution. Poor usage of extension cords can include plugging in extension cord into another to make it longer, using one for an appliance with a higher wattage than the cord is rated, and having clutter on or near the cord. Each of these can pose a fire hazard, overheating wires, and tripping hazard. Overloaded electrical outlets also pose a great threat to the household. Some of the hazards of this include damaged electrical wires, overheating, and starting fires. All of these hazards can cause substantial damage, injury, or worse loss of life if the hazards are overlooked, and no corrective actions are taken. However, there are plenty of preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of damage and increase awareness of electrical safety in the household. The household is riddled with many hazards that can cause a multiple of things such as substantial damage, injury, death, or even a total loss of the house. This is why it is very important to understand the hazards and implement preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of an event occurring. Some of these preventative measures that can be performed at home include inspecting electrical equipment commonly used in the household, removing electrical equipment away from conductive sources, avoiding usage of multiple high consumption appliances in the same outlet, covering open electrical outlets, and ensuring the proper usage of extension cords. Each of these preventative measures can reduce the likelihood of something substantial happening in the household. While some of the fixes can be one and done others require diligence to ensure that the hazard doesn’t cause damage or death. The household does contain numerous everyday hazards that are overlooked or are considered minimal enough risk that they could never cause anything to happen. However, while most of the time there will not be something substantial that happens, the hazards still exist lying in wait until a sequence of events happen that cause an accident, damage, injury, or death. That is why the key to electrical safety in the household is to recognize the hazards, understand their severity, and understand ways to prevent them from causing damage to the household. This is an active process that includes everyone residing in the household to ensure everyone stays safe from electrical hazards.