Electrical Safety
Electricity is a potential hazard in any home or business. Read our handy advice below to help reduce the danger to yourself and others.
Electricity. It’s an amazing thing – it’s at the root of everything we do, providing vital power for life, and fuels many aspects of our daily lives. Anyone who has experienced a power-cut will know just how reliant on it the modern world has become – and it’s clear to see why! As we become increasingly more aware of the critical human impact of burning fossil fuels, electricity can offer a cleaner, safer and more efficient alternative. Like any awesome super-power, however, it should be used wisely and treated with care and respect. With this in mind, we’ve put our heads together and created this simple guide to five of the most common dangers, providing some straightforward advice to help keep you safe, at home or in the workplace.
Electrical Fires
As the fourth highest fire risk in the home, electrical fires are a serious threat to our safety. Much of that danger stems from the sheer number of products and appliances we have in our homes and offices, which have serious potential to catch fire. Astonishingly, our trusty, reliable white goods top the table of the worst offenders. But why is this problem so prolific?
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One reason – though we may not like to admit it! – may be our own carelessness. Divided attention or our willingness to take a not-so-well-calculated risk can lead to much more serious problems down the line. It’s the little voice that says ‘It’ll be fine!’ when you realise, having left the office for the night, that you left your computer switched on, or the desperate hunt for a free plug socket that tempts you to overload a heavily-populated extension cable with a high-powered item like a vacuum cleaner. But, don’t despair – there is light at the end of the tunnel…
A problem so easily caused by human error is, conversely, also very easy to avoid with just a few simple adjustments and by encouraging good habits. With so many electrical devices to manage, it’s tempting to leave something running while you nip into another room, but making sure you switch off (and, if possible, unplug) devices you’re no longer using will help to keep you safe and save money into the bargain. What’s not to love?
Equally, as the saying goes, prevention is definitely better than cure; replacing your worn-out electrical devices when wires are exposed or they are overheating, and ensuring that your wiring and supply are regularly checked and maintained by qualified professionals, can pay dividends in the long-term, helping you to avoid big expensive repair bills or insurance claims in the future.
For more hints and tips on how to prevent electrical fires, click here to visit the London Fire Brigade website.
Electrical Injury
How often have we heard it said – ‘Most accidents happen in the home.’
“Surely not in mine,” we cry (eyebrows raised) “I know my home; it’s familiar territory!”
But perhaps that’s why?
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Feeling comfortable and safe in our environment is important but, like in the case of electrical fires, it can also cause us to become less aware, less sensitive and think less carefully about potential hazards, leading to a more significant risk of painful and potentially life-altering injuries.
According to research by GP, Dr Laurence Scott, electrical burns account for roughly 5% of admissions to hospital burns units, and ‘for every death [caused by improper handling of electricity], there are two serious injuries and 36 reported electric shocks’, suggesting that these minor injuries are far more common that we’d like to believe. The group who are most at risk, according to Scott, are young males who are nine times more at risk than their female counterparts.
Though we can’t avoid the danger entirely, there are a few simple, common-sense guidelines to follow that will help you to protect yourself:
- Avoid keeping drinks, or other liquids, around electrical devices, such as computers and televisions, and invest in cups and bottles with anti-spill lids for use at work.
- If an appliance is causing a circuit breaker to trip, blows a fuse or releases sparks when you switch it on, don’t assume it’s a one-off: get the item checked by a qualified expert and replace it if it can’t be repaired.
- Check that you’re using the right bulbs and fuses. If they’re not the right wattage rating, they will fail just when you need them the most and overload your appliances. Ask your electrician for advice.
- Have missing or broken switch or socket covers replaced. They aren’t there just for aesthetics – they prevent contact with the live wiring behind, which can be particularly dangerous when feeling for a switch in the dark.
Of course, even in the safest homes and offices, accidents can happen. Ensure that those in your home or office are well-versed in how to give first aid in the event of electrical injury by reading the St John Ambulance’s advice on responding to difficult situations.
Electricity and Children
If you’ve ever been in sole charge of young children, you’ll know that their greatest superpower is finding an exciting new toy in even the most mundane of objects. Generally, this is ok – we say they’re imaginative, creative – but what if their chosen ‘toy’ turns out to be something very bad for their health?
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Cautionary tales and preventative measures may often seem like overkill but, where children are concerned, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry. Simple child-safety products are widely available and usually inexpensive. Socket covers, for example, which prevent children from sticking fingers and other small objects into tempting holes in the wall, can be fitted easily by a competent DIY-er and come in a range of styles, from plug-ins to spring-loaded retractable panels that slide back into place when not in use.
Similarly, while ‘Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic’ form the basis of a well-rounded education, adding a fourth ‘R’ – ‘Responsibility’ – to your child’s early learning, teaching them about safe behaviour in the home, will help to establish good habits in the longer term. Encourage children to respect their devices, switching off or unplugging them when not in use, keeping them away from beds, and preventing remote controls or mobile devices getting lost down the back of the sofa.
If you’re seeking a fun way to broach this serious topic with your child, Electrical Safety First have develop the ‘Switched On Kids’ website – an interactive resource that uses games and activities to help children learn all about what electricity is, where it comes from and how to stay safe in the home – there are even gold stars to collect!
Electricity and Pets
If teaching children about the importance of electrical safety seems like an uphill struggle, teaching your pet to avoid dangerous habits could seem like climbing Everest! Animals in the wild have an inherent sense of danger, which helps them to be cautious, but domesticated pets and animals tend to become reliant on their owners and carers, making them far less vigilant than we might like them to be.
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Thankfully, there are a few simple adjustments that you can make to ensure your animals are safe, even when you’re not around to supervise them:
- Ensure that trailing wires are kept as short as possible and use cable tidies to keep them securely off the ground. Many smaller animals – especially rabbits and guinea pigs – enjoy sharpening their teeth by chewing through them, resulting in harmful electric shocks for them and a costly repair bill for you.
- Tempting as it is, avoid the temptation to use the top of your pet’s tank or cage for storage. Leaving lamps or hot irons on top of a cage may seem like an economical use of space, but they are not designed to withstand the added weight and heat, increasing the risk of items falling or breaking and potentially causing harm to the pet itself.
- Many pets obviously require their own electrical appliances to keep them happy and healthy. Specialist filters, heaters and lighting for aquariums, tanks and cages may seem expensive in comparison with their domestic ‘human’ counterparts, but they have been carefully designed by specialists, in consultation with animal care experts, to provide just the right environment, safely. It’s never worth skimping on the cost so seek advice from expert staff at a specialist store, always read the instruction manuals carefully and make sure any replacement fittings are the correct size and wattage for the appliance.
For more advice on keeping your pet safe around electricity, Electrical Safety First have produced this handy guide.
Electricity and Water
Some aspects of electricity and water are so obvious, they hardly bear repeating – don’t use a toaster while in the bath, for example – but there are far more aspects to electrical safety in bathrooms and kitchens that are much more commonly overlooked.
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These sorts of spaces commonly house many other sources of risk, such as slippery surfaces or sharp blades, which mean that your attention in these rooms is often more divided, making it easy to forget or ignore some of the less obvious dangers.
When planning a bathroom or kitchen, it’s important to consider carefully the placement of light fittings and power sockets to ensure that they’re handy and useful, but positioned at a safe distance from any water sources. The BS7671 Regulations, published and reviewed each year by the Institute of Engineering and Technology, set the British Standard for safe electrical installation and wiring in domestic and commercial settings, and a good, qualified electrician will be able to advise you about the legal recommendations that govern these sorts of spaces.
In the meantime, here a few handy hints to follow to help you stay safe at home and at work:
- Ensure wet rooms – especially those where steam is regularly present – have adequate ventilation to prevent condensation forming on electrical fixtures and fittings, which could then cause water to run inside power sources or appliances.
- If an appliance, or its plug, becomes wet or is accidentally submerged, turn off the power before retrieving it then leave it to dry thoroughly before use. If in doubt, have it checked by a qualified electrician first.
- If an appliance is situated next to a sink, never use the taps while it’s in operation, and leave the appliance unplugged if not in use.
- Ensure outdoor appliances are stored off the floor in a watertight, covered area.
Q-Tech Electrical Ltd is a family run business based in Crawley, West Sussex. We provide domestic electrical services including: full and part Rewires, fuse-board changes & replacements, led lighting and design, extra lighting, extra sockets, garden power, garden lighting, electrics for extensions and conservatories as well as smart home automation.
We are adept at fault finding and pride ourselves on being able to help solve even the most complicated of problems.
All of our work is certified & insured. If you would like a free estimate, please do not hesitate to contact us to request a quote.
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