Staying Safe From Electricity Accident: Safety Tips

Electricity makes life comfortable.

Electricity makes life comfortable. Hardly can people do without it in a day. Most of our life activities at work and in our homes revolve around the use of electricity.

Modern homes have an array of gadgets that are powered by this somewhat indispensable solution.

However, it is quite unthinkable that many people out there have little knowledge about the hazards that come with the use of electricity. Accidents resulting from electricity are often fatal and as such safety should be treated with utmost concern.

It is necessary to educate every member of the family about the dangers inherent in the use of electricity homes, offices and at recreation.

Getting the safety tips right in the home will help to avoid electrical accidents. The risks and harm in electricity range from minor shocks to more fatal shock, electrocution and fire outbreak.

That said, there are major safety tips for people to harm themselves when dealing with electricity.

Proper Use Of Appliances

The safety precaution is to switch them off when not in use.

These days most of the gadgets in the home are electrically-driven. They are all in the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen, and the bathrooms. The safety precaution is to switch them off when not in use. How more do you need to be careful with your appliances?

  • It is advised that you should always unplug the appliances. This is helpful if you have growing children around the home or pets. If not unplugged, they can tamper with them to cause damage and cause themselves electrical shocks.
  • Every appliance has an instruction manual. It is common most times that people don’t pay attention to this. Little do people know that some of the instructions are crucial to safety. It can contain specific instructions on voltage and upgrade requirements that may be useful to you.
  • Always leave sufficient clearance distance for heat-generating appliances. Your TV set, computers, oven, deep freezer and others that generate heat should be given enough space between the walls to enhance air circulation. Do not cover them with cloths or other items that will trap in the released heat from the appliance.
  • It’s risky to run any machines with your wet hands. Always get your hands dried before operating electrical appliances. In addition, avoid having your electrical appliances on the sinks, overhead vents, and bathtubs.
  • To avoid explosions and fire outbreaks that can result from electrical sparks, keep electrical appliances away from highly inflammable substances. Curtains, cloths and other combustible materials should be kept away from heaters, and other heating sources.

Proper Use of Lightbulbs

Lights are synonymous with electricity.

Lights are synonymous with electricity. Every department in the home has its own light bulb. They’re such indispensable elements that we can’t just do without daily in the house.

As harmless as they look, they may portend some danger if adequate care is not taken to avoid connected electrical hazards.

Take the right approach to fix light bulbs. You can get a shock when replacing bulbs. Make sure to switch off the switches and only use the correct wattage required in your fixes.

Overheating can result from using a higher wattage bulb. This can cause damage to cables and result in a fire.

Energy saving bulbs are common these days and are recommended for many homes.

Keep The Children Safe

Children are more vulnerable when it comes to electrical installations.

Children are more vulnerable when it comes to electrical installations. If you have toddlers and growing kids, you need to have some safety tips at the back of your mind for all age categories. Put safety measures in place for them when doing electrical installations or equipping the home with appliances. The age range of the children also determines to a large extent what should be expected.

Outlet covers on sockets give protection to kids. Make sure to have them installed for the sake of the kids. For these outlet covers, the wall plates come with inbuilt retractable covers that automatically snap in when the outlets are not used. This prevents kids from getting shocks since they’re not exposed.

There are two types of this in the market. They are child-safety wall plates and the designs that are plug-in types.

Be careful with extension cords. Don’t allow them to litter the ground where children will pick them up and play with.

Handling The Cords The Right Way

Do not place cords underneath a rug in the home.

Since all appliances have cords attached to them, proper handling is important to prevent shock and other electrical hazards. The use of extension cords further increases the number of cords that run through the home. Adequately following safety measures on cord handling will keep the home and children protected.

Frequently check cords around for cracks, frays, especially power equipment cords. Do not place cords underneath a rug in the home, this is dangerous in the situation that a crack occurs. Don’t also make modifications to the plug of a cord.

You can minimize the practice of using extension cables in the house. Also, use the appropriate length and weight of a cord. And never overload the extension outlet when in use.

When unplugging the cord be careful to not weaken the cord itself by pulling the cable, rather pull on the cord.

Give A Great Deal Of Attention To Outlets

Cords and electrical appliances draw their power from the various outlets in the home.

Power outlets are the sources to powering your electrical appliances in the home. Cords and electrical appliances draw their power from the various outlets in the home. You should give adequate attention to these outlets in terms of safety concerns. Outlets can be overloaded with appliances. This can cause sparks, short circuit and a fire outbreak.

To keep within safety measures, don’t overload them with many adapters. Always have in mind the appropriate amount of wattage that can go into an outlet.

Make sure to install ground fault circuit interrupter outlets in vulnerable locations in the home.

These are places such as kitchens, bathroom, the pool area and where toddlers are often frequent. All wiring of outlets should be appropriately covered with tapes if exposed to prevent shocks.

Make sure to block every unused outlet with a solid cover plate. Childproof caps are also available in the market to keep children fully protected from electrical shocks.

Electrical safety tips are for all members of the family.

The children should be educated on the dos and don’ts regarding electrical safety in the home.