5 simple tips to stay safe with electricity
Electrical safety is something that our electrician in Melbourne likes to reiterate.
Keeping your home safe from electrical fires, injuries, and worse requires you to stay safe around electricity, and to take certain electrical safety precautions.
After all, electricity is dangerous – it’s only natural to make safety your top priority to prevent any form of electrocution, fires, and other electrical injuries.
Unfortunately, many people aren’t prepared for these events – after all, nobody expects to deal with any emergency electrical situations.
But in reality, any homeowner or property owner will likely have to manage electrical emergencies at one point or another.
Step number one is to save the number of an emergency electrician to your phone, and to call it whenever you run into an electrical problem.
Until your electrician turns up however, there are a couple of things you can do to keep yourself safe…
What are electrical risks? What are the 3 hazards of electricity?
There’s always a danger related to using electricity. In fact, there are much more than just 3 of them – that said, we’re going to spend today focusing on the 3 main ones.
And they are:
- Electrical shocks
- Short circuits
- Electrical fires
While there are many things that can cause each of these problems, there’s one thing that’s common in all of them: exposed, worn or damaged wiring.
Electricity seeks the path of least resistance – that’s where the phrase comes from.
Normally, a properly insulated wire ensures that electricity follows its designated path. Not only does this protect you from electrocution, but it also means that power goes to your appliances.
A broken, damaged, or worn wire gives electricity an alternate path to escape – and that can result in all three of the hazards listed above.
Is an exposed wire dangerous?
With that explanation in mind it should come as no surprise to you that exposed wiring is a genuine electrical emergency, which needs to be taken seriously!
How do you detect an exposed wire? Sometimes, you get lucky and the damage is easy to see.
Unfortunately, things aren’t always that simple, and you can often end up with issues that are harder to spot. In cases like this, you can try to identify issues by looking for:
- Smoke
- Burning smells
- Frizzling and crackling sounds
- Warm electrical outlets
When dealing with exposed wiring, your priority is to stay safe. It’s best to follow these safety precautions if you’re unsure whether or not you’re dealing with exposed wires, and your sparkie hasn’t turned up yet:
- Turn off the main electrical circuit
- Isolate the exposed electrical wiring
- Block the affected area off
Once you do that, the only thing left to do is wait for a pro to turn up.
Why do we need electrical safety?
Reasons why electrical safety matters
Obviously, electrical safety protects you, your family and property from electrical hazards – but that isn’t the only reason electrical safety is so important.
There are a lot of electrical hazards that commonly happen in your day to day life; that’s why electrical safety is something that should never be overlooked – but rather prioritised.
While many workplaces and businesses provide safety training and guidelines, how much more is electrical safety essential even in the confines of your home.
This is especially important with electrical fittings outside, which face considerably higher risk than indoor ones.
With these cases, it’s especially important that any issues here are looked at by an outdoor electrician.
Whether it’s inside or out, staying safe around electricity…
Protects you from more than just electrocution
Electrocution is one of the most obvious consequences of electrical hazards – however, it’s not the only one.
Taking steps to protect yourself from electricity can also help protect you from a range of other injuries and health hazards resulting from exposure to electricity, such as:
- Cardiac arrest
- Thermal burns
- Nerve and muscle damage
- Burns
Ensures you’re compliant with electrical safety regulations
This one’s especially important for businesses!
All electrical installations in Australia are governed by a range of electrical safety regulations such as the Electrical Safety Act 2002.
Developed to prevent injuries, deaths and property damage due to electrical damage or untoward incidents, these regulations also set out mandatory standards for electrical installation and appliances.
Fail to meet these standards, and you could be hit with a hefty fine.
Lowers medical and damage costs
Electrical-related injuries and incidents often result in high medical costs, as well as repair costs for damage related to fires, electrical damages and more.
By staying safe around electricity, you’ll be able to avoid these added costs – all the more reason to get your system inspected (and if necessary, repaired).
What are our 5 electrical safety tips?
Tip #1: Keep your hands dry when handling electrical wires and equipment
Regardless of whether or not your wiring is damaged, if you’re handling electrical equipment and appliances, your hands need to be dry – it’s a simple thing, but it’s the safest way to protect yourself from electrical shocks.
That’s why both children and adults should never touch outlets, wires, and appliances with wet hands.
Water is a conductor of electricity, after all – in the event that something’s wrong, it can make the shock that much worse.
Tip #2: Switch the power off when attempting to fix any electrical fixture or wiring
Before you try anything, the first thing you should do if you feel unsafe is shut off the flow of electricity.
Simply put, doing anything electricity related while the power’s still flowing is a bad idea.
Whether it’s simply by switching your sockets off or going straight to the powerboard, electrical safety starts by turning off the power source to prevent any accidents and injuries from happening.
Tip #3: Avoid overloading extension cords
It’s a common-enough habit – and it’s also one that can be dangerous!
Overburdened extension cords and outlets can often cause a short circuit or other electrical issues such as electrical overload. That’s why you need to be careful not to overload them with powerboards and extension cords.
And if you’re truly desperate for more sockets, it might be best to get in touch with an electrician to add capacity to your system.
Tip #4: Use power surge protection
Power surge protectors protect your appliances, gadgets and other electrical equipment from damage caused by a sudden electrical spike.
When electricity turns off during a thunderstorm, electrical appliances and equipment may receive too much electricity, damaging their parts.
Power surge protectors detect unexpected surges in electricity and react instantly, cutting the flow of power to your appliances, saving them from getting fried and protecting you from the electrical risks that can come with power surges.
Tip #5: For safety purposes, call an electrician in Melbourne
A regular electrical inspection is the first step to avoiding any electrical emergencies.
And that requires help from an expert electrician in Melbourne!
Our qualified electrical team performs complete, accurate and safe electrical inspections, whether it’s at your home or your business. Our electrical contractors observe electrical safety practises, and help you maintain your electrical safety.
In addition to identifying issues and fixing them, we’re also able to lend our expert advice, giving you the information you need to stay safe.
Put electrical safety first with the help of an expert Melbourne electrician
Keep your home and property safe from any electrical emergencies with the help of an electrician in Prahran.
A qualified and licensed expert electrical team provides you with a broad range of complete electrical services. That includes electrical inspections that help you to avoid dealing with emergency electrical situations like:
- Blown fuses
- Safety switch failure
- Electrical fires
- Lighting and appliances failure
- Power failure blackout
- Electrical damage due to bad weather
Our mission is simple: to keep you safe, and to get the job done right the first time!
Our team of sparkies delivers the right electrical solutions to your home or commercial space.
If you sense that something is wrong in your electrical system, call Briggs’ 24-hour emergency electrician in Melbourne.
We are located in Bayside, and we service the entire southeast as well as the CBD.
Call the team today on 1300 300 222 or fill in this form to lodge a job with us!
