South Carolina General Assembly
121st Session, 2015-2016

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Bill 5419


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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

TO DECLARE MAY 2016 "ELECTRICAL SAFETY MONTH" IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND ENCOURAGE ALL CITIZENS TO ESTABLISH AND PRACTICE ELECTRICAL SAFETY HABITS IN THE HOME, SCHOOL, AND WORKPLACE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ELECTRICALLY-RELATED FIRES, INJURIES, AND DEATHS.

Whereas, the most recent statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) show 48,000 electrical fires occurred annually, causing 455 deaths and over 1,500 injuries across the nation; and

Whereas, property damages from these home fires due to electrical failure or malfunction cost more than 1.4 billion dollars a year; and

Whereas, more than six people are electrocuted each week in the United States, and since 2015, 106 civilians, including twenty-four children have died in electrical fires across the nation, according to the United States Fire Administration; and

Whereas, the state's fire marshal reports that 19 South Carolinians died in electrical fires from 2014 to 2015, and some 80 percent of civilian fire fatalities in the State occurred in residential homes; and

Whereas, citizens are advised and often required to protect their homes and families with proven fire prevention safety technologies, such as ground fault circuit interrupters, arc fault circuit interrupters, and tamper-resistant receptacles, and they are urged to install, test, and maintain properly an adequate number of smoke alarms; and

Whereas, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a group of nearly 400 electrical, medical-imaging, and radiation-therapy manufacturers across the country, promotes education and awareness about electrical safety and fire-prevention technologies. Now therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, declares May 2016 "Electrical Safety Month" in South Carolina and hereby encourages all citizens to establish and practice electrical safety habits in the home, school, and workplace to reduce the number of electrically-related fires, injuries, and deaths.

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This web page was last updated on May 25, 2016 at 11:07 AM