Electricity is an essential part of your daily life. It is also something that is taken for granted. Unfortunately this often means people forget just how dangerous it can be.
Official figures suggest that as many as 15 people are killed every year and 300 hospitalized due to electrical incidents in the home.
It’s important to take electrical safety seriously:
Get Professional Help
Whether you’ve just moved in or have been in your home for years it is a good idea to have an annual electrical inspection. The Electrical detectives can help you identify any issues and even resolve them for you.
This will give you peace of mind and can help you to understand the electrics in your home better.
It is also important to get professional help if you are looking to add electrical sockets; it can be easy to miscalculate and cause a short circuit or even a fire. They will also know the current regulations.
It’s not just the electrical wiring that you can’t see that can be dangerous. Any appliance you use has an electrical cable going to the socket. You need to visually check these on a regular basis to ensure wires are not exposed.
This can happen when the cable is bent to many times or even if an animal has chewed it.
If you find a damaged cable replace it before you use the appliance again.
It is also worth taking a look at how many items you have plugged into a socket and how much electricity they could be drawing.
Just because you can add splitters and plug a multitude of things in doesn’t mean you should. Too many appliances on one circuit can cause it to overheat, causing a short or a fire.
Your electrician will be able to advise the maximum watts per circuit in your home.
If you have young children they may be tempted to put their fingers or other items into unprotected sockets.
It can only take a second which is why you should invest in socket protectors and use them; this will prevent a nasty accident from happening.
The same is actually true for you. It may seem okay poking a knife into a toaster but you can get a nasty shock.
Water & Electricity Do Not Mix
Water conducts electricity extremely well. If you touch an appliance or a socket with wet hands and there is even a trace of residue current you will get a shock.
It’s easy to overlook this one when rushing round but it could be fatal.
Equally it is a good idea to keep your drinks away from electrical items; this is especially true if you have children that can knock them over.
When you need to change a light bulb turn the power off first. If you don’t you can easily get a shock from the old bulb or the socket.
When it comes to electricity always take a cautious approach; if it doesn’t seem like a good idea then don’t do it.