Halloween a Time for Tricks, Treats & Safety
APS Offers Tips for Staying Safe Around Electricity

October 27, 2009

Halloween is just a few days away, and priorities such as selecting the ideal costume to mapping out the most efficient trick-or-treating route no doubt have been deliberated to great length. As important as those things may be, safety still should be everyone's No. 1 concern this Saturday.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 400 people in the United States die each year as a result of contact with electricity. There are numerous ways in which Halloween-related activities present an opportunity for children to come into contact with electricity, which can result in severe injury or even death.

To help our children have a safe Halloween, APS encourages its customers and all the little vampires and cheerleaders out there to observe the following Halloween-related electrical safety tips:

• Carefully inspect fog machines, lights and other devices that use electricity. Cracked, frayed or bare wires may cause electric shock or start a fire. If the electrical cord of any device is damaged do not use it.
  
  
• Keep electric cords away from high-traffic areas where they can be a tripping hazard.
  
  
• Plug outdoor decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and ensure circuits are not over-loaded with too many devices.
  
  
• Before using an electrical product outside, make sure the manufacturer's instructions indicate it is safe to do so. Keep electrical devices away from water.
  
  
• Stay away from utility electric facilities (substations, transformers, power lines, etc.) along the trick-or-treating route. Venturing near high-voltage electrical equipment is extremely dangerous, especially when it is dark outside.

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW)

Damon Gross, APS Media Contact
(602) 250-2269