Appraisal of household safety practices of extension cord usage in Ho Municipality, Ghana

Figures & data

Figure 1. Samples of extension cord.

Table 1. Cord and cable abbreviations. (Extension Cord Safety: A Comprehensive Guide, 2022).

S/No	Letter	Meaning
1.	S	This denotes a flexible cord intended for general use.
2.	W	This indicates that the cord is suitable for outdoor use.
3.	J	This indicates that the cord has standard 300-volt insulation. If the cord does not have a J in its designation, it has thicker, 600-volt insulation and is intended for heavier use.
4.	P	This denotes the use of parallel wire construction in air conditioners and household extension cords.
5.	T	This denotes that the cord jacket is vinyl thermoplastic.
6.	E	The cord jacket is made of thermoplastic elastomer rubber (TPE).
7.	O	This indicates that the cord is resistant to oil.

Table 2. Domestic fire incidents in Ghana from 2007–2013 (Addai et al., 2016).

Year	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	Total
Number of incidents	1,354	1,267	1,241	1,075	1,315	2,040	2,063	10,355

Figure 2. Map of Ho Municipal area. (Arku et al., 2008).

Table 3. Results of data using Cronbach's Alpha.

Test	Variable	Items	Cronbach alpha (α)
1	Selection before use	8	0.848
2	During use	17	0.795
3	After use (Maintenance)	7	0.764
4	Fire safety	4	0.860
Overall		36	0.817

Table 4. Profile of respondents.

Demographic characteristics category		Freq	Score (%)
Gender	Male	352	58.6
	Female	249	41.4
	Total	601	100.0
Age	Under 25 years	83	13.8
	26–34 years	245	40.8
	35–44 years	130	21.6
	44–54 years	95	15.8
	Over 55 years	48	8.0
	Total	601	100.0
Educational qualification	No Formal Education	9	1.5
	Basic	50	8.3
	Junior High School (JHS)	35	5.8
	Senior High School (SHS)	197	32.8
	HND/Diploma	137	22.8
	Bachelor	128	21.3
	Masters	29	4.8
	PhD	16	2.7
	Total	601	100.0
Type of housing of respondents	Single room	201	33.4
	Hall and chamber	156	26.0
	Hall and chamber (self-contained)	101	16.8
	Two bedroom self-contained	72	12.0
	Three bedroom self-contained	57	9.5
	Four bedroom self-contained	6	1.0
	Five bedroom self-contained	8	1.3
	Total	601	100.0

Source: Fieldwork 2022.

Table 5a. Usage of extension cord.

Binary logistic regression results
Hosmer and Lemeshow Test	Chi-square		df		Sig
	2.517		7		0.926
Ever used an extension cord	B	Sig	Exp(B)	95.0% C.I. for EXP(B)
				Lower	Upper
Gender (1)	−0.216	0.554	0.806	0.394	1.648
Age	−0.191	0.258	0.826	0.593	1.151
Constant	−2.275	0.000	0.103

^a Variable(s) entered on step 1: Gender and Age.

Table 5b. Knowledge of wattage ratings of an extension cord.

Binary logistic regression results
Test of model coefficient	Chi-square		df		Sig
	20.838		3		0.001
Knowledge of wattage ratings	B	Sig	Exp(B)	95.0% C.I. for EXP(B)
				Lower	Upper
Gender	0.722	0.001	2.058	1.476	2.869
Age	0.054	0.455	1.056	0.915	1.216
Qualification	−0.095	0.075	0.909	0.819	1.009
Constant	−0.908	0.013	0.403

^a Variable(s) entered on step 1: Gender, Age and Qualification.

Table 6. Raking analysis of the selection of extension cord before usage.

Selection practices	1	2	3	4	5	MN	RII	RNK
I choose cords with three-prong plugs.	33	74	160	160	174	3.61	0.72	1
I inspect the extension cord for any damage before buying	53	73	104	216	155	3.58	0.72	2
I inspect my extension cord for physical damage before use.	56	87	120	205	133	3.45	0.69	3
I consider the length I will need to draw power from before buying the cord.	59	81	157	162	142	3.41	0.68	4
I am aware that there are extension cords for indoor use.	67	147	75	176	136	3.28	0.66	5
I am aware that there are extension cords for outdoor use	60	150	87	174	130	3.27	0.65	6
I read the information about the amount of power the extension cords can provide.	118	111	130	130	112	3.01	0.60	7
I check to see if the extension cord has been approved for use by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.	235	83	113	138	32	2.42	0.48	8

*MN = Mean; **RII = Relative Importance Index; ***RNK = Ranking.

Mean (1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Uncertain; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree).

Source: Field data, 2022.

Table 7. Ranking analysis of safety measures adopted during the use of extension cords.

Usage practices	1	2	3	4	5	MN	RII	RNK
I plug multiple appliances into my extension cord.	26	62	90	221	202	3.85	0.77	1
I uncoil all the cords before use.	28	91	154	177	151	3.55	0.71	2
I unplug the extension cord when not in use.	83	101	111	199	107	3.24	0.65	3
I keep sagging in flexible extension cords to prevent tension on electrical terminals.	44	92	234	138	93	3.24	0.65	4
I pass extension cords under carpets and furniture.	128	114	104	156	99	2.97	0.59	5
I plug my extension cord into another to get more length.	106	153	143	96	103	2.90	0.58	6
I use an extension cord marked for indoor use indoors and outdoors use for outdoors.	106	97	212	154	32	2.85	0.57	7
I leave the extension cord in the socket even if it is not in use.	130	149	98	132	92	2.85	0.57	8
I drag extension cords on the floor when I am moving them from one place to another.	149	144	143	133	32	2.59	0.52	9
I overload cords with more than the proper electrical load.	165	114	198	101	23	2.51	0.50	10
I force plugs into the extension cords outlets.	200	125	128	103	45	2.45	0.49	11
I attach extension cords to the walls and floors using nails and staples.	215	152	75	91	68	2.41	0.48	12
I continue to use the extension cord even if it feels hot when I touch it.	192	146	162	59	42	2.36	0.47	13
I pull the cord the plug when removing the extension cord.	232	118	138	59	54	2.31	0.46	14
I pass extension cords through doorways, windows and floors.	192	185	99	96	29	2.31	0.46	14
I store my extension cords outside in the open.	204	192	142	47	16	2.13	0.43	16
I use the extension cord when it is wet.	349	82	73	59	38	1.93	0.39	17

*MN = Mean; **RII = Relative Importance Index; ***RNK = Ranking.

Mean (1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Uncertain; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree).

Source: Field data, 2022.

Table 8. Ranking analysis of maintenance practices of extension cord.

Maintenance practices	1	2	3	4	5	MN	RII	RNK
I keep extension cords dry and free from water.	9	8	25	147	412	4.57	0.91	1
I keep extension cords away from children and animals.	12	18	60	174	337	4.34	0.87	2
I store extension cords indoors after use.	16	28	50	240	267	4.19	0.84	3
I throw away any cord which is damaged.	28	53	70	181	269	4.01	0.80	4
I regularly check and inspect my extension cord to see if it is in good working order	52	84	102	154	209	3.64	0.73	5
I regularly check and inspect my extension cord to see if it is in good working order	55	83	102	163	198	3.61	0.72	6
I unplug extension cords when they are not in use.	63	65	120	189	164	3.54	0.71	7

*MN = Mean; **RII = Relative Importance Index; ***RNK = Ranking.

Mean (1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Uncertain; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree).

Source: Field data, 2022.

Table 9. One-Sample test results for safety measures adopted in the use of extension cords.

Safety practices to prevent fire
I am convinced that based on my maintenance culture, I am exposed to fire outbreak in the use of the extension cord. Overall, how would you rate your exposure to the risk of fire outbreak in the use of the extension cord? I am convinced that based on how I use the extension cord, I am exposed to fire outbreak. I am convinced that based on my initial information on the extension cord before buying, I am exposed to fire outbreak.
Level of awareness of safety measures to be adopted in the use of extension cords	Test Value = 5
	t	df	Sig. (2-tailed)	Mean Difference	95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
					Lower	Upper
	−63.476	600	0.001	−1.87539	−1.9334	−1.8174

Figure 3. Overview of extension cord usage in Ho Municipality.

(a) Three-prong plug; (b) Overloaded extension cord; (c) Long extension cord; (d) Homemade extension cord.

Figure 4. Effect of overloading the extension cord.

Extension Cord Safety: A Comprehensive Guide. (2022). Roman Electric Co. https://romanelectrichome.com/extension-cord-safety/

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Arku, F. S., Filson, G. C., & Shute, J. (2008). An empirical approach to the study of well-being among rural men and women in Ghana. Social Indicators Research, 88(2), 365–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-007-9197-0

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Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon a reasonable request.