August 2007 | Alabama Living

It’s the dog days of summer and hot temperatures and severe weather are common in our area. With the hurricanes that have hit south Alabama over the past few years, more and more households now have portable generators.

Although generators are beneficial when power lines are down, they can prove fatal to workers and consumers when used improperly.

At Clarke-Washington EMC, we hold our member’s safety and the safety of our employees as a top priority, especially in dangerous times. When storms hit our area, we rush to your aid as soon as weather conditions permit linemen to travel and safely make repairs.

Clarke-Washington EMC is proud of our outstanding safety record, but sometimes, no matter the precautions we take to keep our members and workers safe, the very people we are there to help unknowingly put our lives – and their own – in danger.

Nevertheless, a generator connected to a home’s wiring or plugged into a regular household outlet can cause backfeeding along power-lines and electrocute any-one who comes in contact with them — even if the line seems dead.

Generator owners are at risk of electrocution, fire injury, property damage or carbon monoxide poisoning if they do not follow the necessary safety rules.

Portable generators can be very helpful to consumers during outages, but we urge our members to follow these safety guidelines below when using them.

• Never connect a generator directly to your home’s wiring. This can cause backfeeding along power lines and electrocute any-one coming in contact with them, including line workers making repairs.
• Never plug a generator into a regular house-hold outlet. This can also cause backfeeding and pose an electrocution risk to utility workers and others served by the same utility transformer.
• Always plug appliances directly into generators. Connecting the generator to your home’s circuits or wiring must be done by a qualified, licensed electrician who will install a transfer switch to prevent backfeeding.
• Use heavy-duty, outdoorated extension cords. Make sure extension cords are free of cuts or tears and the plug has all three prongs. Overloaded cords can cause fires or equipment damage.
• Make sure your generator is properly grounded.
• Never overload a generator. A portable generator should be used only when necessary and only to power essential equipment or appliances.
• Turn off all equipment powered by the generator before shutting down the generator.
• Keep the generator dry.  Operate it on a dry surface under an open structure.
• Always have a fully charged fire extinguisher nearby.
• Never fuel a generator while it is operating.

Read and adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions for safe operation. Never cut corners when it comes to safety.

You can help your loved ones, your neighbors and our linemen stay safe during times of severe weather and power outages.

We encourage you to protect the well-being and safety of your family during outages and at all times. We also urge you to protect our linemen who come to your aid during these emergency situations.

Stan Wilson, General Manager/CEO
Clarke-Washington Membership Electric Cooperation