5 Preventative Electrical Safety Tips

In the day and age that we live in we are heavily reliant on electrical appliances for every aspect of our day to day lives.

Given this, electricity is sometimes taken for granted as well as the dangers associated with it.

To minimize the risks associated with electrical devices and appliances there are a number of precautions and rules you can follow to ensure the safe usage of electricity in your home.

We have compiled a list of our top 5 Preventative Electrical Safety Tips in The Home:

The first thing you need to do is remember that faulty or damaged sockets, plugs and wiring can be extremely dangerous!!

Secondly, you need to become vigilant around the house and get into the habit of checking cables, plugs and sockets before you use electrical appliances.

Never take the safety of your electrical wiring, supply or appliances for granted. There are countless accidents caused each year due to damaged or faulty equipment. In many of these cases, accidents could have been avoided with some preventative measures

• Always check and monitor the condition of your electrical points, sockets and cabling. Electrical shocks are not the only dangers you need to be aware of, using damaged or faulty electrical appliances also puts you and those around you at risk of burns and fires.  
• When you are checking your cables, look out for areas of discolouration, wear and tear, or damaged areas. If the cable is not securely attached to the appliance or the plug do not use the appliance.
• Check your plugs and sockets by examining them for signs of overheating or burn marks.
• Remember that coming into contact with live electricity through exposed wires can cause electric shocks or even death.

Again, it’s very easy to take electricity for granted and fall into bad habits when we’re so accustomed to using electrical devices. By making some habitual and behavioural changes you can reduce your risk of accident or injury.

• Do not use electric heaters to dry clothes. These electrical appliances need to be well-ventilated when in use. When they are not well ventilated they pose a serious fire risk.
• Don’t store flammable liquids etc close to electrical points and sources. We often see this in sheds and garages with petrol canisters. Although this won’t prevent an electrical fire it will prevent the electrical fire having access to an accelerant.
• Don’t repair electrical appliances yourself. Either contact a qualified electrician or bring the appliance to an electrical appliance store that does repairs. It may cost you money to do this but it is a small price to pay to ensure your safety and those around you.
• Only use phone authentic phone chargers and cables.  
• Do not sleep with phone chargers plugged in. Charge the phone before you go to sleep!!

Electrical appliances are not designed to be used in the same way in different areas of your property. For example, you would not use electrical appliances designed for your sitting room in the bathroom. The conditions are very different and thus their design and safety features are also different.

• Never handle electrical appliances with damp or wet hands – regardless of what room they are in or designed for.
• When you are carrying out your electrical checks around the house be sure to check any sockets which may be concealed by furniture.

You don’t need to be a qualified electrician or an electrical expert but a basic knowledge the electrics in your household is critical for maintaining your electrics and could save your life.

• Know where your fuse box and or electricity meter is.
• Find out how old the wiring in your house is –  If it is older than 20 years you should have it checked out by a qualified electrician. Based on what the qualified electrician finds you may want to consider rewiring the property.
• Know the dangers, the stories we hear in the press are unfortunately very real.

If you don’t know what you are doing, do not tamper with electrical devices and appliances. If you do, you are putting everyone in and around your house in danger.

If you found this article useful you may also be interested in https://firemole.com.

Firemole is a young company that is developing a range of innovative fire safety devices that can protect people and their property. They are also based in the Rubicon Center in Cork and have just launched their first product aptly named The Firemole which is a temperature alarm which can be attached to plugs and electronic appliances.

The device monitors the temperature of the charger or appliance it is connected to, if the device detects a temperature of over 54ºC it will sound a high-pitched alarm alerting (or possible waking) people of the overheating electronic appliance or charger etc.

If you feel that you need an electrical inspection carried out on your property or would like to book a qualified Electrician please do not hesitate to book using our online booking form or via our online chat.