Electricity - handle with care

We at MTEMC want you to be careful near electricity. Although this important power cannot be seen, smelled or heard, it can be felt. One touch can be deadly. Enjoy electricity's benefits, but please heed the safety rules listed below:

• Always unplug small electrical appliances after using them. Even when the switch says "off", power is still present; and appliances can electrocute you if they contact water.
• Never use an electrical appliance near a tub or sink. If an appliance falls into water, do not reach for it. Immediately unplug it from the wall outlet.
• Make sure appliance and extension cords are not frayed. Replace them - do not patch.
• Do not run cords behind radiators, under carpets, through doorways, around pipes or near metal objects.
• Do not plug too many appliances into one socket. Wires may overheat, destroy insulation and cause a fire.
• Have at least one fire extinguisher handy for home fires.
• Do not approach electric lines that are down during a storm or as a result of a car accident or other accident.
• Always have underground electric service located before digging.

Caution: Avoid contact with overhead power lines

Be careful when handling long metal objects such as TV antennas, pipies, construction steel, grain elevators, cranes, signs, wire and flag poles. Also be careful cutting trees, moving houses and dynamiting near power lines.

If electrical lines are in the way of your work, call your local MTEMC office and have them de-energized or moved. No amount of time or money you think you are saving is worth the risk of your life.