CPSC Warns of Post-Storm Hazards in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States from Portable Generators

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Oct 31, 2011, 11:15 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recent winter weather in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. has resulted in power outages. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning residents in these areas of the deadly dangers from portable generators, which are often used to deal with the loss of electricity. News reports indicate there have been near tragedies in Connecticut and Massachusetts from generators being improperly used indoors.

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CPSC strongly warns consumers to never use a generator indoors – including garages, basements, crawlspaces and sheds – even with ventilation. Exhaust fumes contain extremely high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) which can rapidly become deadly if inhaled.

Consumers should only use a portable generator outdoors in a dry area away from doors, windows and vents that can allow CO to come indoors.

Carbon monoxide from generators resulted in at least 79 deaths annually from 2005 through 2007.

Additional life-saving safety tips from CPSC include:

Check to make sure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms have batteries and are working.
If you start to feel sick, dizzy or weak while using a generator, get to fresh air right away. The CO from generators can readily lead to full incapacitation and death.
Do not connect the generator directly into your home's electrical system through a receptacle outlet – this is an extremely dangerous practice that poses a fire hazard and an electrocution hazard to utility workers and neighbors served by the same transformer.
If using a generator, plug individual appliances into heavy duty, outdoor-rated extension cords and plug cords into the generator.
Check that the extension cords have a wire gauge adequate for the appliance loads and have all three prongs, including a grounding pin.
Keep charcoal grills outside. Never use them indoors. Burning charcoal in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide poisoning.

For more information, go to http://www.cpsc.gov/info/co/.

CPSC Contact: (301) 504-7908

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission