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Electrical Safety Tips Every Family Should Know

Stephan321 March 11, 2019

Electrical safety is something every family needs to know and follow. Almost every household uses electricity for running the lights and other appliances. Most families cannot imagine a daily routine without power.

However, the use of electrical appliances is not entirely safe. Electricity is dangerous if not used with caution. Research says that 90 percent of the fires are caused due to electrical failures and short circuits. So, it is necessary for every family to be careful while using electrical appliances in our homes and offices.

Moreover, every person should follow the basic electrical safety tips at home, office and other places. This post shares some simple electrical safety tips for every household.

Maintenance of electrical appliances

All the electrical devices should be in proper working condition. The improper working of appliances is one of the leading causes of short circuits and fires. You need to check an appliance as soon as a problem arises its functioning. Get it repaired by a professional to bring it in a proper working condition and avoid the problems in the future.

Main Switch and MCBs

The main switch is the device that allows the supply of electricity to the house. You must know the location of the main switch and turn it off during any repair or maintenance of electrical circuits or appliances.

MCBs are the miniature circuit breakers that cut the supply of electricity to a circuit in the house. You can switch off the MCB of a circuit while performing any repair or maintenance work in that circuit. MCBs also cut off the supply automatically in case of short circuit or heavy load on that circuit.

Height of Sockets

The height of sockets is a factor that most people don’t consider during the installation of electrical wiring. It is necessary to install the electrical outlets and switches at a safe height that is not reachable by infants and children below three years of age.

Small children don’t know about the hazards of electricity and may try to touch the switches and sockets. Therefore, it is essential to install the outlets and switches at a safe height from the floor. Also, every family should keep the children away from switchboards.

Grounding and Polarization

Grounding is a way of sending the stray electric current to the earth. It provides a safe path to the current to flow to the earth for the safety of users in case of a fault or accident. Sometimes the user touches a wire or metallic part of an appliance by mistake and comes in contact with the electric current.

Polarization means that the electric current flows to an appliance through the live wire and returns through the neutral wire. While perfuming a repair or maintenance, make sure you connect a switch, accessory or device with the correct cables. An appliance may malfunction or damage due to incorrect connections of wires or polarization.

Loose connections

The connections in the circuits become loose with the time that leads to electric sparks and overheating. The loose connections may cause a fire due to overheating of the circuit. Therefore, you need to check the circuits, and wiring of your home every six months and tighten any loose connections.

The connections in the appliances should also be tight to avoid overheating and fires. In case, you observe any sparks or overheating in a circuit or device, you should stop using it and call a professional like industrial electrician Wide Bay to repair the same.

Test for Power

It is essential to test the power in a circuit before working on the same for repairs or maintenance. One should never touch a wire before checking the current in it for any purpose. You can check the power in a cable using a power tester device that is available it the electrical shops.

Avoid overloading

Many people overloading the circuits by connecting many appliances on a single socket or switchboard. It causes overloading and overheating of the circuit that leads to fires and burning of switches and outlets. Moreover, connecting a heavy load appliance on a low rated socket also caused overloading. For example, using a 15 or 20 Ampere rated appliance on a 5 Ampere socket can cause overheating of the circuit.

Extension Cords

People use extension cords to extend the length of a circuit and connect multiple devices that can also cause overloading. You should avoid overloading and use the extension cord for short periods that too if necessary.

Final Words

The most critical point for electrical safety is regular checking and maintenance. You should call a professional like industrial electrician Wide Bay to visit your home and check all the circuits every three months to make sure everything is well.

 Moreover, homeowners should know the basic electrical safety tips and check the basic issues regularly to find problems at the right time. Following these electrical safety tips can help all the homeowners to ensure the safety of their families.

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