Electrical Fire Prevention and Response
Construction and general industry · Ver en español
Talking points
- Electrical fires are caused by overloaded circuits, damaged wiring, loose connections, and faulty equipment. Warning signs include warm outlets, flickering lights, burning smell, and tripped breakers.
- Never use water on an energized electrical fire — water conducts electricity and can cause electrocution. Use a Class C or ABC-rated dry chemical extinguisher.
- If possible, de-energize the circuit before attempting to extinguish the fire. A fire on a de-energized circuit can be treated as a Class A fire.
- Extension cords that are too long, too small in wire gauge, or daisy-chained together overheat and are a leading cause of electrical fires on construction sites.
- If an electrical fire is beyond the incipient stage — larger than a wastebasket — evacuate and call 911. Do not risk your life fighting a fire that is beyond your ability to control.
Ask the crew
Do we have the right type of fire extinguisher near our electrical panels — and does everyone know not to use water?
Standards this talk is built on
A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.
Run this talk with your crew and keep the record
In Jobsite, workers sign in on their phones in English or Spanish, and you keep who attended, when, and where, with every other talk your crew has had.
Using an AI assistant? Jobsite's free MCP server serves this library, with OSHA rule text, no sign-in: https://jobsitecerts.com/api/mcp/public (/mcp)
Sign-in sheet
Print this page to collect signatures, or run the talk in Jobsite and workers sign in on their phones.
| Name | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|
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