The following are some general Electrical safety tips for you and your home
Fuse Board
• Have your fuse board checked by a registered electrical contractor at least every two years
• Before adding an electric shower to your electricity supply, ask a registered electrical
contractor the check that the supply is able to handle the load safely
•
Any change in the behaviour of your electricity, for example flickering lights or fuses blowing
more than once, should be checked by a registered electrical contractor
•
If you are replacing fuses ensure that the correct type and size is used
Fire Safety
•
Fit two or more smoke alarms in your home and test regularly. Don’t forget to replace their
batteries twice every year
• Always keep a fire blanket and fire extinguisher in your kitchen
• Don’t mix electricity and water. If you have an electrical fire, only use an ABC dry powder or
carbon dioxide (C02) extinguisher
Sockets & Switches
•
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Never use loose or damaged sockets or switches – have them repaired by a registered
electrical contractor
• Never force a 2-pin pug into a 3-pin socket
• Avoid using multiple socket adapters
• Never use appliances with worn or damaged flexes. Replace the appliance or have it repaired
by a professional
What electrical checks can I perform in my home?
•
Test your Residual Current Device (RCD) every three to six months by pressing the ‘Test’
or ‘T’ button. This simulates a fault and ‘trips’ the switch showing you that the RCD is
working correctly. You can then simply reset the switch back to the ‘on’ position. If pressing the
button does not trip the switch, it is faulty and you need to arrange for a registered electrical
contractor to fix this.
• Check sockets, switches and appliances for signs of overheating or wear and tear on flexes
• Check that plug tops are properly connected - the colour of the wires in a flex entering a
plug-top should not be visible from outside the plug top
•
Check for damage to plug tops such as cracking, heat discoloration, missing screws etc.
For more information about electrical safety in your home visit ETCI
(Electro Technical Council of Ireland) www.etci.ie or ESB Networks www.esb.ie.
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