Electrical Safety at Home

Practicing electrical safety is easier than you might think. It is vital that you understand that electricity always takes the quickest and shortest route to the ground. Electricity has the ability to flow through metal, wire, water, and more worryingly, humans! Electricity cannot be seen by the human eye, but it is very much real, and therefore, you need to treat it with the respect it deserves.

Our homes are full with wires, both inside and outside, and every year there are hundreds of cases of people succumbing to electrocution in their very own homes, with thousands more people injured as a result electrical related mishaps. However, most of these mishaps can be avoided with a bit of common sense and forethought.

Indoor Electrical Safety Advice

Only make use of electrical appliances that have passed testing. One of the most recognizable electrical appliance testers are Underwriters Laboratories (lookout for a UL marking on the label), but there are plenty of other official testers.

Make sure that you keep all electrical appliances away from the bathroom. Electrical appliances such as hair dryers and radios should be kept well clear of the bathroom, and you need to inform your children of the importance of keeping electricity away from water.

Unplug all appliances from the sockets when you are cleaning them, as well as making sure that all cords and flexes are free from damage on a regular basis.

Make sure electrical cables, wires and cords are safely stored away from the reach of children.

Avoid overloading outlets and extensions with too many appliances, as this can be both an electrocution risk and a fire risk.

Tell your children the importance of never inserting anything in to an electrical outlet, toasters or any other piece of electrical equipment, and use safety covers on all unused outlets.

Outdoor Electrical Safety Advice

Keep tools and ladders at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines, and make sure that when using a ladder, if it were to fall, that it would not come in to contact with power lines.

Power outlets which are situated outside of the home should be fitted with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI).

Teach your children about the dangers associated with flying kites near too overhead power lines. Also teach your children about the dangers of entering an electricity substation to retrieve a lost item, as well as climbing trees that are near to power lines.