Your electric appliances help make your life easier — but you should never forget that electricity is a powerful force that can be dangerous. According to the National Fire Protection Association, electrical appliances and wiring were the third leading cause of home fires and the second leading cause of fire deaths in the United States between 1994 and 1998.

In addition, more than 300 electrocutions occur in the home each year in the United States. The Electrical Safety Foundation International estimates that most of these could have been prevented if Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) were installed in every home. GFCIs protect you when there's an accidental electric path formed between a source of current and the ground. This most often occurs in wet areas like bathrooms or kitchens, where water can serve as an accidental conductor.

GFCIs are required by code in many areas of the home, including unfinished basements, kitchens, bathrooms, garages, crawl spaces and outdoors. If you have an older home, you may not have GFCIs, but you can have an electrician install them.

Like any device, GFCIs can wear out or be damaged, so to be sure yours are still protect ing you, you should test them monthly. All you need to do is:

1. Push the red "RESET" button on the GFCI.
2. Plug in a light - a night light works well - and turn it on.
3. Push the "TEST" button.The light should go off.
4. Push the "RESET" button again, and the light should come back on.

If the "Reset" button pops out during the test but the light does not go out, there's a problem with the GFCI. If it fails these tests, contact an electrician.

Here are a few other simple things you can do to help keep you and your family safe: Buy appliances and extension cords that are rated by independent laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

Replace missing or broken wall plates on electrical outlets. Put plastic safety covers on unused outlets that are accessible to children. When possible, avoid the use of devices that let you plug multiple cords into a single outlet.

Don't use higher wattage bulbs in lamps and ceiling fixtures than recommended by the manufacturer.

Be Safe Around Electricity

Don't leave plugged-in appliances where they can come in contact with water. If an appliance falls into water, turn off the power at the breaker before touching the appliance.

Keep space heaters at least three feet away from combustible materials such as furniture, draperies and rugs. Don't use them in rooms where children are unsupervised. Unplug space heaters when you're not using them. Avoid using space heaters with extension cords; if you must use an extension cord, use a heavy-duty gauge cord.

Because halogen floor lamps operate at much higher temperatures than lamps with standard bulbs, they've been implicated in a number of fires. Never place a halogen floor lamp where it could come in contact with draperies or other combustible materials. Be sure to turn the lamp off whenever you leave the room and never use these lamps in children's rooms.

Have your house wiring checked by a licensed electrician, particularly when moving into an older home whose wiring may not be able to support the electrical demands of modern life. In addition, aluminum wiring, used in some homes from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s, is a potential fire hazard.

Keep an eye on these potential hazards so that you can continue to safely enjoy your electrical appliances.