The first step towards improving the safety of your building is to assess existing threats from electric shock and fire. This section will walk you through the most common safety hazards and will teach you how to identify them before they pose a problem. The basic technologies you can use to protect occupants from fires and shocks in your building include the following:
- Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breakers or receptacles to help prevent electrocutions;
- Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) breakers or receptacles to help prevent fires;
- Out-of-Parameter Circuit Interrupter (OPCI) receptacles to help prevent fires from appliance overloads and bad power quality; and
- Tamper-Resistant (TR) receptacles and covers to prevent shocks to children.