Electricity is a major feature in our daily lives, powering the appliances we use to work, play and live. Around the home, electrical gadgets are so commonplace it’s easy to take them for granted. The availability of electricity has also meant many people forget how dangerous it can be.
When misused, electricity can cause serious harm to both your home and your family. Electric shocks, fires, and burns are all possible if you fail to follow safety guidelines when using devices. Thankfully, modern regulations for enforcing EICR, make it much easier to stay safe around electricity. Even so, you need to ensure you follow these tips to keep you and your family safe.
Cover Electrical Sockets
With how common electrical appliances and gadgets have become, electrical sockets are a necessity. Most modern homes have sockets in every room, allowing you to easily connect your devices to the main power source.
While electric sockets are extremely useful, they can be dangerous if misused. If your young children see them, they might want to play with them or put things into the holes. This can be a serious safety risk, as the main electricity current is very powerful.
You can keep your young children safe by covering electrical sockets with child-proof covers. In addition, it’s important to educate your children on the potential hazards of electricity and how to use it safely.
Keep Appliances Well-maintained
One of the biggest causes of electric shocks and fires in the home is devices that aren’t properly maintained. Over time, power cables can become worn, and appliances can become damaged. This may lead to electrical wiring being exposed, increasing the risk of shock.
If you have a busy home, it’s possible that your appliances are subjected to a lot of regular wear and tear. It’s important to check on this often and ensure that anything damaged gets replaced or repaired quickly.
To help keep your appliances in the best condition, ensure they’re switched off, unplugged and stored away properly when not in use. If you’re worried about damage, keep it out of reach of your children, and make sure any devices are always treated with care and respect.
Keep Electrical Devices Away from Water
Water and electricity are a bad combination. It’s easy for water to seep into electrical devices, potentially ruining the circuitry and also increasing the risk of shock. Regular water is a much better conductor than air, and even more so if salt is added.
Ensure that all of your electrical appliances are kept away from sources of water, and make sure children are supervised when using them. Teach your children about the importance of electrical safety and the dangers of mixing both water and electricity.
If a device has gotten wet, make sure it’s switched off and unplugged from the mains socket as soon as possible. In some cases, it may still be possible to repair it, but care should be taken to ensure it’s not used if damaged.
Don’t Overload Electrical Sockets
Power extensions allow the use of multiple devices from one socket. This is very helpful considering the sheer number of useful gadgets many of us own. However, it’s dangerous to overload a socket by plugging in too many appliances.
Avoid putting several plugs into one extension, and always ensure that devices you’re not using are unplugged and switched off. One way to tell if your socket is overloaded is how much heat is coming from the plugs.
If your plugs are hot to the touch, it could lead to an electrical fire or a higher risk of shocks. Unplug devices if they’re hot, and never leave them plugged in if you’re going to be out of the house.
Excellent read – so important to follow advice
I used to use the cube sockets, where you plug them in to the plug and can then plug 3 appliances into them. Since finding out that they can be a fire risk, I know use the horizontal multiple socket adapters.