Safety with electricity at home

Paramedics often have to deal with the consequences of our failure to manage electricity with the care and safety that it deserves. Electricity is not something to play around with - neglect and thoughtlessness lead to both electrocution and fire at our homes.

The best advice to prevent unsafe situations and accidents with electricity is through effective and preventative maintenance:

• Appliances needing repairs or replacement should be attended to immediately.

• In our homes breakages and excessive wear and tear on electrical equipment can occur frequently so we need regular inspections and take precautions to ensure safety.

• If an appliance repeatedly blows a fuse, trips a circuit breaker or gives you an electrical shock, immediately unplug, repair or replace it.

It is also important that we test our equipment regularly switch it on and off and look for possible problems or faulty connections. Taking time to make sure you are using your equipment safely could save your life later on.

Inside the house - safety with electrical cords and connections

Cords, like plugs, are an essential part of our environment but can also be a safety hazard. Minimise the potential safety dangers caused by electrical cords, by:

• Use SABS-approved electrical wires or cords.

• Do not use frayed cords and do not join cords with tape.

• Replace worn and frayed cords on appliances immediately.

• Keep cords well away from hot stoves and other hot surfaces.

• Avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets and rugs.

• Make sure that cords are not placed in areas with high traffic where people may trip over them.

• Do not let cords rest on furniture but rather let them run along walls and around furniture.

• Do not run cords through hinges or nail them to walls, floors or any other objects.

• Extension cords should be used on a temporary basis only. They are not a permanent wiring solution.