Ellena+S

media type="youtube" key="pxJE9yLZyfw" height="344" width="425" Electrical safety is a lot of common sense. Seems easy, right? No, most of us forget some of this common sense while dealing with electricity, and sometimes this can cause serious injuries or even death. Why? Who knows! Maybe they’re trying to be goofy, trying to be a clown and act dumb, or maybe they just get so exited they forget. Plus, don’t forget, accidents do happen. Whatever the reason we have to be careful dealing with electricity, especially in the theater.

When dealing with electricity it is important to remember the following things. Even if you aren’t in the theater these rules or guidelines are important to remember.

-You should never play with electrical switches, wire or plugs, and don’t ever touch anything electrical with wet hands. -If you see that a cord is damaged don’t mess with it, don’t even try to put it in the outlet. Never try to use damaged or bent plugs. -Don't mess with something that is electrical unless you are told or instructed to do so. -Never stick metal in an outlet, just like you wouldn’t stick a fork in a toaster. -When pulling something out from an outlet pull by the plug and not the cord.

When back-stage during a play it probably isn’t safe. Here are some guidelines to follow to help make being back-stage safer.

-Make sure cords are not in the way and won’t be tripped over. This is very important back-stage because it is often dimly lit, and tripping on a cord can cause problems. -Make sure that cords aren’t covered by something, often cords are hidden under rugs but this can be a fire hazard. -Don’t force cords places they can’t fit, like behind tables. Sometimes in a theater cords are forced behind props to be hidden from the audience, this is not safe. -Don’t use staples or nails to attach cords to places, and don’t plug extension cords together, try to use one long one instead.

Frankenstein's Lightning Laboratory; Electrical Safety. October 12th, 2009. http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/frankenstein/safety.html Real Simple. October 1st, 2009. []. Soule, Rob. (My dad) Personal Interview. September 30th, 2009.