Osage Beach Fire Protection District, http://obfire.com/, posted a safety list for your dock, that we would like to share with our readers.

Electrical safety hints for Your Dock:
1. Use only a shore power cord set capable of handling your boats power load, and UL Listed for the marine environment. Marine cord sets are available in two common load ratings, 30 amperes and 50 amperes. If you have a 50 amp system, use a 50 amp cord set. A 30 amp cord set will overheat and will likely fail over time.2. Use only plugs and connectors designed for marine service. Taped together wiring laying on docks, or on deck, is an invitation to disaster.

3. Don’t use regular outdoor extension cords. These are subject to rapid deterioration, and expose you, and your boat, to significant danger of fire and electrical shock.

4. Check your shore power cord regularly. It should be free of knots, have no frayed areas, and the male and female connectors secure and weather tight. If it is damaged or deteriorated, replace it.

5. Keep your shore power cord out of the water. Rapid loss of zincs on your boat from stray electrical current reaching your hull is costly, but the danger to divers, and others who may be in the water, can be deadly.

6. Use Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI’s) on all 110 volt electrical outlets on your boat. If your boat didn’t come with GFCI’s, you can install them for about ten dollars each. They interrupt the flow of electricity when a ground fault (leakage) of electricity is far below the lethal zone.

7. Don’t “jerry rig” electrical wiring. If you can’t handle the job, have a qualified electrician, competent in marine wiring, do the job. It will be a lot less costly in the long run.

Buy electrical products evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Use electrical extension cords wisely. Never overload extension cords
Do not swim or play in water during an electrical storm, even if it is not raining.
Never touch anyone who is being shocked; the shock can spread through body contact.
Know where fuse boxes and circuit breakers are located as well as how to properly operate them.
Never attempt electrical repairs or rewiring without proper certification and experience.
Do not put water on an electrical fire; use a dry fire extinguisher or baking soda instead.

source: http://obfire.com/2014/08/07/dock-safety/