Electrical Fires in the Home and Preventing Them
Did you know that Wales has a higher proportion of electrical fires caused by electricity than other parts of the UK? In fact, 62% of all accidental domestic fires in Wales are electrical, compared to 53% in England. (Electrical Safety First)
It’s important to use and store our electric devices safely and responsibly to avoid fires in the home. It is also important to spread awareness regarding electrical safety in the home too to reduce this percentage therefore, Electrical Estimates has created a short guide below so that you too don’t become part of the 62%.
Ensure Your Fire Alarm is Up to Date
Did You are around 8 times more likely to die from a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm in your home? (GOV.UK – Fire Kills) In fact, 12% of people in the UK are risking this, that’s around 2.7 Households! (The Sun) Ensure you test the battery of your smoke alarm regularly and, if it doesn’t work, get it replaced immediately. Electrical Estimates recommends checking your smoke alarms at least once a month domestically, and once a week if you’re a business.
Supervise Children and Pets
Have you ever caught your cat confusing a wire with string? Or a child perhaps using plug tops for what it’s not intended for? Always ensure that dangerous wiring or electrical equipment is out of reach of pets or children.
Turn it Off
If you’re not using an electrical appliance, it is simply safest to turn it off. Whilst electrical faults are rare if you buy licensed, genuine products, they are not unheard of, and all it takes is for an overloaded socket or daisy chained appliance to overload for you to find yourself with a fire on hand. It’s also a good idea to have your house checked with a periodic inspection report. For homeowners this should be once every 10 years, once every 5 years for rented homes, once every 3 years for caravans.
Don’t Leave Electric Appliances Unsupervised
It’s best to remain in the kitchen when using an oven or microwave, all it takes is to leave it on a little too long, or even for it to become faulty to have a problem on your hands.
