Likewise, the first step in determining which extension cord you will need is to decide whether you will be using the appliance indoors or outdoors . Extension cords that can be used outdoors will be clearly marked Suitable for Use with Outdoor Appliances. Because a GFCI detects ground faults, it can also prevent some electrical fires and reduce the severity of others by interrupting the flow of electric current. If you did, the shock probably happened because your hand or some other part of your body contacted a source of electrical current, and your body provided a path for the electrical current to go to the ground, so you received a shock. An unintentional electric path between a source of current and a grounded surface is referred to as a ground-fault.
Ground faults occur when current is leaking somewhere.
In effect, electricity is escaping to the ground. How it leaks is very important. If your body provides a path to the ground for this leakage, you could be injured, burned, severely shocked, or electrocuted. The GFCI constantly monitors electricity flowing in a circuit to sense any loss of current. If the current flowing through the circuit differs by a small amount from that returning, the GFCI quickly switches off power to that circuit.