Electricity as many people know is no laughing matter. Not only that, but you need to understand that working with electricity is even more dangerous. While there are some things that you can do it yourself and may not need an electrician for, safety needs to be your number one concern, because anyone can get hurt from electricity with even the slightest bit of a mistake. In this guide, a group of Sydney NSW are providing some of their best safety tips for everyone from beginners to experts to follow.
1. Avoid Overusing Outlets, Power Strips, or Extension Cords
Many people think that just because they have a power strip that has 20 outlets, that their original outlet can handle this stress, which can cause electrical malfunction. At the same time, they’ll use adapters and extension cords wrongly. Never plug an extension cord into another extension cord unless they’re built for the purpose (like industrial-strength cords). Most house electrical fires are caused by faulty wiring and users abusing their outlets in their home.
2. Child-proof your Outlets
Babies and children can (and usually will) touch an outlet at some point in their life, and this can be life threatening. Always cover your outlets that aren’t being used. This also can help save energy by stopping cold drafts into your home. If you have a full outlet not being used, consider buying a covering plate for it.
3. Be Careful How You Unplug Things
Never yank a cord with excessive strength. Doing so can cause damage to not only the electrical appliance, but it can damage your outlet, or bend your plug which can be a fire and safety hazard.
4. Make Sure Cords and Clutter Are Hidden Neatly
Pets (dogs especially) will be tempted to chew up wires which is extremely dangerous, or wires can be considered a trip hazard if they’re lying about in the way of people walking. Consider cable management in order to conceal or keep them out of the way.
5. Make Sure Power if Off Before Doing ANY DIY Project
While you may not need an electrician to change a light bulb, even for that alone you should make sure your power is off to your appliance or outlet before ever doing any work. Even if you have one breaker turned off, as this is generally safe, if you’re actually doing something like replacing an electrical outlet or light switch, the best rule of safety is to actually turn off your power main if you have adequate lighting.
Conclusion
There are many different things along with this (and you can learn more about them here) that you can follow with electricity. While it’s almost common sense to keep electricity away from water, not climb trees near power lines, and to watch out for power lines near your home when trying to do work on ladders or in high places, people still neglect to do so, and electrical deaths and injuries are in the thousands worldwide per year, both from professional work and unpaid work.
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