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VoltSafe Blog Team – May 1, 2024
As we roll into the month of May, VoltSafe is no stranger to doing our part to bring awareness to Electrical Safety Month. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) and other organizations come together to promote electrical safety in the hopes of bringing more awareness about the hazards of electrical use from serious injury or electrocutions, to loss or damage to assets and property.
The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1994, and launched Electrical Safety Month. It spreads the message of electrical safety through public service announcements, social media campaigns, and educational resources to prevent electrical accidents and fatalities. Raising awareness is critical.
At VoltSafe, we join in the cause to raise awareness to the concerns around live electricity, and we are working hard to bring a better solution to market that fosters a safer, simpler and smarter way to connect to and control electricity.
Awareness has been extremely effective in progressing electrical safety. According to a study by the NFPA, workplace fatalities totaled 7,405 in 1980. However, since 2015, the average number of fatalities has decreased to 5,222.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists electricity exposure as one of the “Fatal Four” hazards for the construction industry. Around 600 electrocutions occurred annually by the end of the 1970s, accounting for about 8% of all workplace deaths.
By 1989, these fatalities decreased from 582 to 310 by 1989 as a result of the NFPA 70E. NFPA 70E was a standard created as a guide to help employers to establish safe workspaces. The last decade has shown a further decrease in fatalities from 310 to 164 and have remained around 150 over the last decade. Percentage-wise of all workplace fatalities, exposure to electricity fatalities has decreased from 8% to 3% by 2020.
Electrical injuries requiring time away from work have also seen a significant decrease from 4,806 to 2,380 since 1990. These awareness campaigns seem to be working, but 2,380 employees is still way too large a number. Employers can take steps to prevent fatalities and injuries due to electricity. Aside from installing and maintaining equipment, electrical safety awareness through employee training will assist with preventing workplace injuries and fatalities from electric shocks. Having an electrical safety plan in place also helps prevent electric shocks.
A single fatality due to an electrical hazard is still one too many. For VoltSafe, these aren’t just statistics, but someone’s parent, spouse, sibling, child or best friend. Despite electrical safety improving over the decades, a solution needs to be implemented now to reduce electric shocks further. That’s why VoltSafe was founded and why our team works tirelessly to continue to reduce the numbers of electrocutions and fatalities. We can and need to do better.
Electrical hazards can be caused by faulty wiring, improper use of electricity equipment, and the traditional three-pronged plug and outlet. The plugs and outlets in our homes and workplaces often conceal corrosion and are susceptible to arcing and sparking, which can result in fires and electrocution.
Common recessed electrical outlets are always live so the flow of current is constant. We all know how much curious children enjoy sticking objects, including tiny fingers, into outlets. With VoltSafe outlets being off by default until connected to the plug end, the consequential electrocution can be avoided.
Another safety feature of VoltSafe’s hardware is the magnetic breakaway preventing tripping hazards and reducing damage to vehicles, vessels and dock damage. The cord disconnects from the outlet when a certain amount of pressure is applied. No more tripping on that pesky vacuum cord.
VoltSafe Technology has shown that using an electrical gateway over the traditional pronged outlet and connector is the way to go. It is the most effective way to keep the public safe. It ensures that electricity only flows through the outlet when the matching adapter is connected to it. VoltSafe’s hardware is also scalable to any voltage or amperage required, which means that it can even protect users connecting to 240V of power.
VoltSafe’s solution cannot come soon enough for marina facing concerns like Electrical Shock Drownings (ESD) and shore power fire hazards due to faulty wiring, overheating as well as dock damage from boats leaving the dock without disconnecting from pedestals. VoltSafe has been meeting regularly with the American Yacht and Boating Congress (ABYC) to ensure that our VoltSafe Marine solution will address these concerns and lead to increased electrical safety.
Whether you are a marina, homeowner, boater, emergency service provider, medical clinic, or warehouse operator with autonomous robots, VoltSafe has a solution to help you connect safely to electricity. Follow our journey towards keeping the public safe with our solutions on social media. If you want to support our mission to increase safety in households and workplaces by investing in VoltSafe, send us a message at invest@voltsafe.com for more information. We look forward to connecting with you.
About VoltSafe Inc.
VoltSafe Inc. is changing the way people connect to power. Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, the Canadian tech startup has reinvented the electrical plug by eliminating prongs, adding magnets and an “electrical fingerprint”. Using patented technology, VoltSafe has created the world’s safest, simplest, and smartest plug design since electricity came into homes more than 140 years ago. The company’s product pipeline includes magnetic plug replacement solutions for household, commercial, industrial, marine, electric and autonomous vehicles, emergency services, data centres and more.