What is Electrical Safety?
Electrical safety is a general practice of handling and maintaining electrically powered equipment to prevent incidents. Adequate training is required to properly identify and control hazards to keep the environment safe for those around.
Whether you’re at work or at home, both settings operate on electricity. Here are 10 electrical safety tips to help you avoid electrical hazards.
1. Prevent electrical equipment from contacting wet areas
Keep water and other liquids at least 1.5 metres away from electrical equipment and sources of electricity. It is recommended to install Residual Current Devices (RCD’s) which helps in preventing electrical incidents like electrical shock, ground-fault, fires, overheating, and destruction of wire insulation.
2. Ensure safe use when unplugging
When disconnecting electrical equipment, gently pull it by plugtop instead of jerking the electrical cord. Pulling by the cord can damage the electrical cable and cause a shock.
3. Install properly and tidy electrical cords
Good electrical installation consists of fixed electrical equipment and electrical cords being out of the way (and out of reach of pets that can chew on them).
4. Understand your switchboard
Switchboards play a crucial role in electrical systems by safely distributing and controlling electricity. They typically consist of various components such as circuit breakers, fuses, switches, meters, and relays, all working together to regulate the flow of electrical power. Proper sizing and design of switchboards are essential to ensure that they can handle the electrical load they are intended to distribute without overheating or causing other safety hazards. Regular maintenance and inspection of switchboards are also critical to identify any issues early on and prevent potential hazards. This includes checking for loose connections, damaged components, and signs of overheating. Additionally, ensuring that the electrical load on the switchboard is within its rated capacity helps prevent overloading and reduces the risk of fire or electrical accidents.
5. Look out for electrical lines
Be aware of powerlines when working at height, especially when using a ladder.
6. Childproof your outlets
Use outlet covers when there are children around to avoid electrocution.
7. Investigate Flickering Lights
Have flickering lights checked and fixed as it can be caused by loose connections somewhere or the bulb itself needs to be secured or replaced.
8. Install warning signs
Use clear visible signs when there’s high voltage in the vicinity that people need to be warned about.
9. Don’t DIY
Instead of fixing issues, most DIY’s can cause further damage. Should any electrical issues arise, it is always best to have an expert handle it.
10. Call for help
In case of an emergency, don’t hesitate to call the emergency services who will talk you through how to safely assist in the situation until help arrives.
