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A 53-year-old man was electrocuted recently while
using an electric pressure washer to wash a truck.
This incident has prompted the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission to reissue a consumer
alert about these products.
Pressure washers are devices that are hooked up to
a plumbing connection. They pump water under high
pressure through a hose, sometimes mixing the
water with a cleaning solution. Pressure washers
may be used to wash farm equipment, motor
vehicles, outdoor power equipment, porches, or
houses.
The Commission warns that consumers could receive
a fatal electrical shock from pressure washers if
the power cord connections become wet or an
internal short exists. At least 13 such fatalities
have been reported to the Commission to date,
including incidents in Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota,
Alabama, and Illinois.
One incident involved a 3-year-old boy who was
killed when he contacted a pressure washer being
used by his father.
Since pressure washers are used to spray water,
the power cord, washer, and consumer are often in
contact with water. This can be a fatal
combination, especially if the machine is not
properly grounded.
It is important not to defeat a proper ground
connection. Consumers should not use "adapter
plugs" to connect the three-wire plug to a
two-prong household receptacle without properly
grounding the adapter plug. Consumers should have
three-wire receptacles checked by a competent
person to assure that they are properly wired for
grounding. Even when the machine is in good
mechanical condition and properly grounded, care
must be taken to avoid hazardous conditions. For
example, power cord connections should never be
allowed to lie in water.
The 1987 edition of the National Electrical Code
requires that pressure washers be protected by
ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCls). During
the past few years the Underwriters Laboratories
(UL) voluntary standard for pressure washers has
undergone several changes to make the machines
safer UL is in the process of adding a new
provision that will require that most pressure
washers be equipped with built-in GFCIs. However,
it may be several years before all pressure
washers subject to the UL revisions are available
with GFCIs.
For electric pressure washers, without built-in
GFCls, the Commission recommends that electrical
circuit being using protected by either a circuit
breaker type GFCl or a receptacle type GFCI. If
none of the available circuits is protected by a
GFCI, portable GFCIs can be purchased at some
retail Outlets. Be sure to test the GFCI, before
using the pressure washer.
NEVER allow children to operate a pressure washer.
Keep children at a safe distance when an adult is
using a pressure washer.
The Commission also recommends the following
precautions, particularly if no GFCI is available:
- Always plug a three-wire grounded pressure
washer into a properly grounded receptacle.
- If an extension cord must be used, keep the
power cord connection out of any standing
water, and use a heavy duty, three-wire,
properly grounded type. Keep the connection as
far away as possible from the item being
washed and away from any water runoff.
- Wear rubber-soled footwear that provides
some insulation when operating the pressure
washer.
- NEVER cut or splice the power cord or
extension cords.
- NEVER remove the grounding prong from the
power cord plug!
- NEVER operate the pressure washer after it
has tripped a ground fault interrupter or
circuit breaker without first having it
examined for electrical faults by a competent
repair person.
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HOT
TOPICS |
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The recent Taylor County Burn Ban was lifted August 18.
Please continue to be careful.
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Congratulations to Jeremy Williams for
his recent promotion to Lieutenant!
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HELP PREVENT GRASS
FIRES
BE CAREFUL WHILE
WELDING OR WORKING WITH OTHER SPARK PRODUCING EQUIPMENT
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When was the
last time you tested your smoke detectors ?
Your Abilene
Fire Department reminds you to test your detectors MONTHLY
!
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Never cross a road that is covered in
water. 1 to 2 feet of water is capable of floating your
vehicle.
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"FIREWATCH"
FIREWATCH
every Monday on
KRBC 9 "Abilene's First News" during the
5:00pm Newscast
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CODE RED
The CodeRED system calls
only those who are in the telephone database. To ensure
no one is omitted, individuals and businesses are
encouraged to log onto the City of Abilene’s website, www.abilenetx.com,
and follow the link to the "CodeRED Residential and
Business Data Collection" page. Those without
Internet access may call Emergency Plans Office
(676-6525), Monday through Friday No one should
automatically assume his or her phone number is
included.
Questions should be
directed to the City of Abilene’s Office of Emergency
Management, (325) 676-6683.
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