Extension Cord Safety
Extension cords are in my opinion, one of the top most misused pieces of electrical equipment. Not only on a construction site, but also at home. With the holiday season approaching fast, many households will start setting up their holiday lights and displays – this is why I would like to go over some basic Extension Cord Safety.
One of the most important things to remember about extension cords is, the size of the wire in the cord must be compatible to the amount of power the cord will be expected to carry. Most equipment on a construction site will have a name plate that will state the operation current the equipment will use, and most holiday lighting will also have this information, either on the package or in the instructions that are provided. Finding out the operation current for your extension needs is fairly simple, the formula that you would use is as follows:
Watts Divided by Voltage = Current Rating (Amps)
For example: The lights you are going to use are listed at 15 watts per set, and you are going to have 10 sets of lights on the extension cord, all you would need to do is, first – multiply the 15 watts by your 10 sets, this will give you a total of 150 watts, now divide your 150 watts by 120 volts, this will give you a total of 1.25 amps, with this size load you now know that you could use an extension cord with a wire size of #16 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
With this information, we can now go over what size extension cord to use for the amperage you will need. An extension cord with a #16 AWG would be good for up to 13 amps, a #14 AWG would be good for up to 18 amps (I myself would not exceed 15 amps), and an extension cord with a #12 AWG would be good for up to 25 amps, although I would recommend not exceeding 20 amps with the #12 AWG.
The following are some more safety tips pertaining to EXTENSION CORD SAFETY;
A typical extension cord should have four basic components:
- A third wire in the cord, called a ground wire
- A three-prong plug on one end of the cord
- A three-wire, grounding type receptacle at the other end of the cord
- Used with the proper grounding outlet (I recommend using a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)
And remember, never use an extension cord if you see exposed conductor wires (this is the wire inside the extension cord outer jacket). If you feel the extension cord is unsafe, then replace it – a new extension cord costs less than a trip to the emergency room or a fire in your house. If you just use a little common sense while setting up your holiday lights and displays, you should have a safe holiday season.
Leonard Kessner
Safety Director
Related posts:
- Preventing Electrical Shock on the Job
- Backhoe Safety on Electrical Jobs
- Home Electrical Safety
- The Grounded System
- Ladder Safety
