When you have a young child running around the house, safety is your number one concern. There are hazards everywhere and electricity is one threat that can go unseen. Electrical shock can cause burns, stop your heartbeat and breathing, as well as cause loss of consciousness. Make your home a safe place for your child with these electrical precautions.

Unused electrical outlets are easy access for children trying to stick things into them. If one of those items is made of metal, it can cause serious injury to the child as well as the socket. Use safety plugs to cover up holes and prevent any mishaps.

As with adults, it’s important that there are no electrical devices around areas with water, like the sink or bathtub. By bumping a radio or phone into a sink or tub that the child is in, it could cause serious shock and injury. Also after bath time, make sure your child is completely dry before letting them loose. If they come into contact with any unsecure electrical cords or devices, the water will create an unpleasant shock.

Don’t leave disconnected electrical devices, such as a hairdryer or iron, in the on position when they are not being used. If your child has the urge to put the cord in their mouth, there may be a residual electrical charge that could cause injury.

When unplugging electronics and appliances, don’t simply pull the plug out and leave it on the ground. Children can play with the cords and the tampering can result in an electric shock. Wrap up your cords when you’re done and place them out of reach for little hands. In addition, secure all cords so they are not loose for a child to trip over or pull at.

Electricity is useful in our everyday lives but can also be very dangerous. To keep your children safe, take the necessary precautions to secure your house from any electrical hazards that they could come in contact with. It is better to be safe then sorry.

If you live in the United States, you’re likely well-familiar with our typical wall-socket setup. Your plug has two flat pieces of metal roughly half of an inch wide, with one side sometimes being slightly wider than the other. Your wall socket has two slots that match this, with one side also being slightly larger than the other. However, sometimes there’s a variance: some plugs have a third prong below and between the normal two, and most electrical sockets also have a third hole to match this plug. What’s the difference between these two types of plugs and is one better than the other?

To put it simply, yes, one is better than the other. When it comes to electrical plugs, the old adage “less is more” does not apply—the three-prong plug is far better than a two-prong. To learn why, let’s discuss the difference between the two.

In order for electricity to flow, you must complete a circuit. A circuit essentially is a connection from your power source to the device, and then from the device back to the power source. The line that brings power from the power source to the device is called your “hot wire”, which is most often red and comes off the positive terminal (noted by the large “+” sign). The line that then returns from the device to the terminal, usually a black wire connected to a “-“ sign, is known as the “neutral wire.” A plug must have both of these lines in order to work.

However, the third prong in a three-prong plug is a “ground” plug, which dramatically improves safety. When an unexpected burst of electricity happens, such a short in the device or a surge from your power supply, the ground plug will take that abundance of additional electricity and move it away from the device and down into the ground where it is safe. This prevents your device from being overloaded which can cause overheating, sparking, and fires in addition to ruining it.

Three-prong plugs didn’t become the standard in homes in North America until the late 1960s. If you have a home that was constructed around this time or after, odds are your wall sockets are probably already of the three-prong variety. Two-prong plugs can work with three-prong sockets just fine, and you’ll rarely experience any issues.

However, if you have any old two-prong plugs, you’ll likely need your electrical system updated in order to upgrade to a three-prong setup. Properly installing ground wires can involve several hours of electrical work and even cutting into your walls in order to do so properly, so it’s a rather large undertaking. However, it’s by far the safest and most prudent option.

Another option that doesn’t involve tearing open your walls is to install a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet, otherwise known as a GFCI. These sockets are two-pronged, but feature a miniature circuit breaker that measures the resistance through a plug and mechanically shuts off when the risk of a shock is present. While this can help you avoid being shocked by a faulty device, there is still no ground wire present so your electronics are not protected from a power surge.

The electrical panel inside of your home or office is where the breakers (or sometimes called switches) are located.  This is the “heart” of your electrical system.  Just like the heart inside of your body, if this major organ does not work properly, your blood circulation and limbs don’t stand a chance.  You could look at your electrical wiring as being your blood vessels and your appliances as being your limbs.  If your electrical panel, “aka” heart, is healthy and strong, your electrical wiring will operate properly, allowing all of your appliances to last longer.  Beware of old electrical panels; these could become a hazardto your home or business.