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home electrical safety
electricity can kill.
No one ever thinks they’re about to be electrocuted. Yet sadly, it happens. And it happens to people like you – home handymen and women, young and old – who think that doing electrical work like rewiring plugs and fixing toaster elements is easy and perfectly safe. Nothing could be further from the truth.
is there a killer in your home?
You or a family member could be seriously injured or killed if you undertake specialist tasks such as –
- replacing or rewiring a plug, switch or power point
- repairing electrical appliances (eg irons, toasters, washing machines, etc)
- installing or altering fixed electrical wiring.
You may have done jobs like this before and seemingly had no problems. But the risk attached to this kind of behaviour is enormous. One slight mistake and someone could be killed.
some simple jobs you can do yourself
Not all work involving electricity requires a licensed electrician. It is safe for you to perform simple tasks such as –
- changing an electric light bulb
- changing the starter in a fluorescent light fitting
- replacing a fuse
- resetting a circuit breaker or safety switch.
However, when doing any of the above work, be careful. Ensure the electricity is turned off (except when resetting a circuit breaker or safety switch where power needs to remain on) and take due care.
