GAHANNA, OHIO, August 2, 2010 -- How safe is your home? AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) urges its customers to regularly inspect their homes in order to avoid injury from electrical accidents.       
 
Important Electrical Safety Tips:
1.  Always be aware of the location of overhead power lines.  Keep ladders, tools, equipment and yourself a minimum of 10 feet away from overhead power lines.  Electric wires are not insulated like power cords for home appliances.  What may appear to be some form of insulation is actually weatherproofing material and does not provide protection and make the line safe to touch.
2.  Never touch a fallen power line or any other wires.  You can’t tell by simply looking if a power line is energized, so always assume fallen wires are live and energized.  Stay away and keep others away.  Call 911 and your local power company immediately.
3.  Inspect electrical cords for frays. Do not use a cord with any sign of deterioration.
4.  Unplug small appliances when not in use.
5.  Be cautious with anything electrical. Even the smallest-wattage bulbs can cause injury.
6.  Do not overload outlets. If an extension cord is a temporary necessity, match the amperage or wattage limits marked on the cord with the appliance to avoid a fire hazard. If you need more outlets, call an electrician.
7.  Survey your electrical outlets and improve your home´s safety by installing Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI). 
8.  Keep flammable items away from light bulbs, portable heaters, toasters, etc.
9.  To avoid a serious electrical hazard, portable generators should be installed by a qualified electrician.
 
For additional electrical safety information, visit us on the web at www.aepohio.com/safety/  

            AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. 
            American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east and north Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio. News releases and other information about AEP can be found at www.aep.com.