Electrical Hazards │ electrical safety │ preventable electrical hazards

Electrical hazards are invisible but deadly, causing fires and electrical shocks. These hazards are easily preventable if you use an registered contractor to install, inspect and maintain your electrics.

Government figures estimate that each year there are around:
10 fatal and 2,000 non-fatal electric shock accidents in the home
19 fatal and 880 non-fatal shock accidents in the workplace

Electrical hazards you should look out for:

Cables coated in black rubber - black rubber was phased out in the during the 1960's.Cables coated in lead or fabric are even older. A fuse box or fuse board with a wooden back, cast iron switches, and a haphazard mixture of circuit Round pin sockets and round light switches, braided flex hanging from ceiling roses to light fittings, black switches, sockets mounted in skirting boards, wall mounted light switches in bathrooms If any of these features are present in your house. It’s likely your wiring system is several decades old. And probably needs a full house rewire, for safety reasons we strongly recommend that you choose an NICEIC Approved Contractor to carry out any electrical work.

There are also about 12,500 electrical fires in homes across the UK each year. Although many incidents are caused by faulty appliances rather than the electrical installation itself, a properly installed and well-maintained electrical system could save lives. Cables, switches, socket-outlets and other equipment deteriorate with prolonged use, so they all need to be checked and necessary replacements or repairs made in good time. Whilst it is relatively easy to make an electrical circuit work – it is far more tricky to make the circuit work safely. To avoid the dangers that electricity can create it is essential that electrical work is carried out only by those with the correct knowledge, skill and experience in the type of electrical work to be undertaken.

Electrical Safety Council

The Electrical Safety Council published the results of their National Consumer Survey and found that: 42% of those surveyed stated they had never had their electrics checked 32% of DIYers stated they had experienced one or more electric shocks while carrying out DIY 59% of people do not use qualified electricians when carrying out electrical work 48% of those surveyed did not know that their electrics should be checked at least every 10 years by means of a periodic inspection.