Most of the people are using diesel generator in their home or work location due to the lack of electricity supply disturbance. A generator is used to maintain the running electric appliances during the planned or unplanned power outage. But apart from that, having knowledge of generator safety tips is more beneficial during the operation.
Because according to the survey of occupational safety & health administrator. Between the years 2005 to 2017, there are more than 900 people died due to inhaling carbon monoxide. Also, 1000 are injured because of this harmful gas.
A portable diesel generator produces a high level of carbon monoxide gas. This gas is capable to kill a human life within 5 minutes. To reduce the problem of carbon monoxide, the generator companies adding a new feature of the sensor. This sensor is able to detect if the CO reaches its higher level & automatically shuts down the generator.
So before purchasing a new DG Set, you need to check, a generator is passed through the “CO safety technology test”. Also, using any second-hand or rental DG Set, you must aware of general safety tips. Because we all know precaution is better than cure.
Important Portable Generator Safety Tips
By applying regular home or industrial generator safety tips in your daily Genset operation. You can safely run your power backup & get maximum efficiency with 0 risks. Here we provide general safety tips that are necessary to follow when you are operating a power backup.
Never use the generator in close space or Indoor
As you already know Generator produces Carbon Monoxide which can badly affect your health. When you use a generator in the close space for example- Basement and garage. Due to less space the quantity of the Carbon Oxide increase in the air. Also, when you inhale the air then you also inhale the CO then you may badly be injured within 5 minutes. So always place your generator outdoor and at least 20 feet away from the house. Because there is a high priority of CO come through a window or doors.
Gasoline, Fueling, and Burn Safety
I hope you all very much understand about gasoline & also read about these gas features. Gasoline catches the fire very quickly or in short, we can say this gas is highly inflammable. When you fill the fuel more than its capacity it spread on the generator and when the generator produces heat it cause fire or explosion.
To overcome this problem you must have to put less fuel according to the capacity of the generator. Refill the fuel when your generator becomes cool. Do not smoke nearby the generator. Also, if possible don’t come in the contact of the hot generator. Because a few parts of the generator are very hot & they can burn you.
You can also install the alarm system into the central part of your home that will help you by giving an alarm. When carbon monoxide crosses the danger level the alarm will sounds. Now open all the doors and windows and go outside and take fresh air or call the emergency helpline number.
Electrocution Hazard and Electrical Shock Hazards
The third portable generator safety tips are connecting your portable home generator with your house wiring can be dangerous. When you connect a generator directly to your home wiring then it can back feed(The flow of electric power in the opposite direction). So, It can injure you and your neighbor also.
Always check your home wiring is not directly connected to the generator. Make sure there are no electrical loads are connected before the start or stop the generator. Do not use electronic appliances more than generator capacity. Because it can be damaged and You must check the generator is not overload.
Don’t use the generator in Rain
All the manufacturer of the generator clearly mentions that don’t use the generator in rain or wet condition. Because the generator produces a high voltage and when you use the generator during the rain it leads to electrocution and it can make a reason for the explosion. To prevent rain you can use the generator rain cover which you can purchase anywhere.
Placement Of Generator
You must have to place the generator out of the reach of small children. Also, give the five feet distance from all the sides of the generator while operating. It doesn’t matter where you are using the generator. The protection of the generator matters a lot.
If you are using the protection element for a power generator that will decrease the risk of shorting and rusting and check your generator on a regular basis. If the generator needs to repair then contact your nearest authorized dealer. Always make sure your spark plug wire is disconnected and put the wire at some other place. So it can not come in the contact of the spark plug.
Noise and Vibration Hazards
If you have a generator then you know about the generator create noise and vibrate. Due to this noise, you can lose your hearing power and It can irritate you and make a bad effect on the human body. So it’s better to buy a silent generator.
Also, to avoid noise and vibration you may need to keep your generator as far as possible so you can get rid of the noise. If you don’t have that much space then you can use the sound-proof canopy for the generator that will reduce the noise. If you think the above solution is not cost-effective then you can use the hearing protection that will reduce the outside noise.
Summary
The generator is one of the power supply sources which provides the supply of current when you have a shortage of electricity. A shortage of electricity can come due to any reason and your work will be stopped due to electricity shortage at that time you can take the help of the generator. It will provide you the DC current so you can continue your work. If you are using a generator then safety is the first priority you can read all the portable Generator Safety Tips in the above paragraph.
If you are using a new or second-hand DG Set, then it is very important to follow general safety tips for the generator. Here in this article, we provide complete information on portable generator safety tips. I hope, this article will help you to find out the best way of using a DG Set with complete safety tips.