Electrical Safety - Do's and Dont's

Electricity helps keep us alive, but if it is not respected it can kill. Here are some tips for staying safe with electricity.

Don't overload sockets

The sockets from which you get electricity can only safely deliver a certain amount. When you attach an extension cord with hundreds of plugs on it to a single outlet you are risking a fire starting. Spread out demand around the room. Pay particular attention to energy hungry items such as heaters. Under no circumstance whatsoever should these be plugged into multi-gangs, always make sure that they have a socket to themselves.

Watch out for product recalls

Make sure that you are aware for any product recalls. Sometimes consumer electronics are found to have dangerous flaws that can lead to them starting fires or giving electrical shocks. A good way to do this is to set up a Google alert for the model numbers of your appliances and the word 'recall'.

Don't DIY if you don't know how

You do not have to be an electrician to do a lot of basic electrical work. Just because you are legally allowed to do something though, does not make it a good idea. If you don't know what you are doing electricity is not something you want to be mucking about with. If you don't know how, don't try.

If you do DIY, take care

For a competent, properly equipped and careful person adding a new plug or light fitting to a room is a perfectly reasonable DIY task to undertake. Work in kitchens and bathrooms must be certified by a professional however. As a rule of thumb, if you have never done it before the chances are you'll mess it up, so get somebody with some practice to do it for you.

Use the correct fuses

Fuses are an important safety mechanism. If something goes wrong the fuse blows, and the day is saved. If you have an inappropriate fuse that safety mechanism is not there. Always use the recommended fuses and do not feel tempted to replace a blown fuse with an incorrect one just because that's what you have lying around.

Don't be an idiot when changing light bulbs

How many people it takes to change a light bulb is a good set up for a joke, but the joke will be on you if you don't take care when changing bulbs. This is a basic thing, but it ends up hurting a lot of people. Make sure the power is turned off for a start, next, take the time to get something safe to stand on – don't take chances. Finally remember that the bulb might be very hot indeed, so don't burn yourself.

Electricity is one of those things that if you use common sense, and leave tinkering about with to the professionals you really don't have to worry about.