Personal InSights: May 2019

HOME  >  Knowledge is Power: Electrical Safety Tips for the Home

Electricity helps us live comfortably at home, but it isn’t something to take for granted. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are more than 50,000 electrical fires every year, and just one incident is enough to endanger your home, family and finances. Make sure to protect your home from the risks of electricity:

• Know the details about your home’s electrical systems, including the location of any circuit boards, fuse boxes and shut-offs.
• Always check electrical cords for damage before plugging them in.
• Only use one high-wattage device per outlet to avoid overloads.
• Remember that appliances are always connected to electricity when they’re plugged in—even if they’re turned off.
• Don’t unplug devices by pulling on its cord. Instead, pull on the plastic head that’s connected to the outlet.
• Make sure that lights and other heat-generating devices are placed on even surfaces and away from flammable objects.
• Use outlet covers to protect small children from inserting their fingers or objects into outlets.
• Contact a certified electrician if you suspect that anything’s wrong with your home’s systems.
   

“According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are more than 50,000 home eletrical fires every year.”

Call our Private Client Department at 412-734-4900 to make sure that your home insurance has enough coverage to protect you from your electrical risks.

LIFE  >  Healthy Joint Tips

The joints between your body’s bones allow you to bend your limbs, run around and do most of your daily activities. But these connections are also prone to painful injuries and breakdowns that can limit your movement. Normal aging will naturally lead to arthritis and other joint disorders, but there are some tips you can use to ensure your muscles, ligaments and bones are strong enough to support your movements:

• Keep an eye on your weight
• Exercise regularly
• Know your limits
• Practice good posture

Get more informatin about these suggestions by downloading a copy of this newsletter. If you experience any pain or swelling in your joints, apply an ice pack to the area and rest it for half an hour daily. You should also talk to your doctor if you experience prolonged discomfort.

AUTO  >  Teaching Teens to Drive

There are few experiences more nerve-wracking than letting an anxious teenager get behind the wheel for the first time. But there are some common training strategies that help ensure that teens can learn to drive safely and at their own pace:

• Be ready to take control of the steering wheel in case a teen driver gets uncomfortable or distracted.
• Make sure that a teen driver’s first time behind the wheel is in a controlled setting with the vehicle turned off. This will let you point out important aspects of vehicle, such as the controls for wipers, lights and the emergency brake.
• Drive you and your teen drive to an open and unpopulated area for practice. This allows the teen to learn in an area that’s free from hazards and other traffic..
• Start by letting teens drive along frontage roads, and then gradually move to areas with more traffic as they get comfortable.

IN THE KNOW  >  Making Strong Passwords

Protect your passwords and online profiles by following these tips.