Power cords, simply put, can be dangerous. Now when you think of the word “dangerous”, a power cord is probably not the first image that jumps into your head. And granted, a regular power cord is not as dangerous as something like a high voltage line at a substation. But while you may not need to be a licensed electrician to plug something into a wall outlet, it is important to remember that accidents do happen.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), roughly 4,000 people treated in emergency rooms are injured each year by power cords. Half of these injuries alone include fractures, contusions, lacerations, and sprains from people tripping over power cords. It is also estimated that roughly 3,300 home fires start each year due to power cords, with an estimated 270 people injured and 50 killed from the fires. Be safe, not a statistic.

Tripping Hazards

The number one cause of injury for power cords is tripping. A power cord should never be stretched across a room where people walk, even if it has enough slack to sit flat on the floor. Try to keep cords behind furniture or other fixtures to keep them out of the way. If a cord absolutely must go through an area with foot traffic, cover it with something like a speed bump to remove the danger of tripping.

On a similar note to tripping, make sure to keep cords out of the way if they are stretching upwards. You do not want a loose cord that a swinging elbow could accidentally catch, sending your electronics crashing to the ground. Making sure a cord is not within grabbing range of any curious children is also a good policy.

Read more »