Electrical fire safety

Bringing electrical safety to you

Electrical appliances

Electrical appliances, plugs and cables that are old or poorly wired can be a real danger. Just because there’s no flame does not mean there’s no fire risk. Find out what to check for to ensure your appliances don’t put you, your family or housemates at risk from fire.

What to check for on your electrical appliances???

There are particular danger signs to look out for on all electrical items you have around your home. If you think something needs fixing or changing, do it straight away.or if in doubt hoe to do it get an electrician to do it for you.

 

For electrical appliances, you should never:
-get them wet – this includes plugs and sockets, so don’t put a vase of flowers on top of the TV.
-leave TV on at night – unless they are designed to be left on, like freezers.
-put anything in the microwave that is made of metal, or has a metallic finish or parts.

Keep electrical items in good working order.
Follow the guidelines below to make sure your electrical items are safe to use.

Plugs and sockets


For plugs and sockets, keep an eye out for the following:

  • hot plugs or sockets,
  • scorch marks,
  • fuses that often blow,
  • flickering lights
  • badly wired plugs
  • overloaded sockets

They all are signs of loose wiring or other electrical problems,any coloured wires sticking out could come loose and debris could also get into the plug, plugging too many electrical appliances into one socket can lead to overheating and posible fire.

Cables and leads


The risks with cables and leads include:
getting frayed and damaged – make sure the outer covering of all power leads is in good condition and replace if necessary.
Being badly positioned  – they shouldn’t be anywhere that they could be tripped over, or near water, cookers or other sources of heat,
running them under rugs or carpets where they can wear through without anyone noticing – position them elsewhere.

Fuses


When you’re fitting or replacing a fuse, it’s important to use the right fuse for the appliance to make sure the fuse doesn’t overheat. Check the manual or look for a sticker on the appliance to find out its wattage and then use the correct fuse:
for appliances up to 700 watts, use a 3 amp fuse
for appliances between 700 and 1,000 watts, use a 5 amp fuse
for appliances more than 1,000 watts, use a 13 amp fuse
Extension leads and adaptors have a limit on how many amps they can take, so be careful not to overload them, to reduce the risk of fire.
Dealing with an electrical fire
If there is an electrical fire, pull the plug out, or switch off the power at the fuse box - if it's safe to do so. Sometimes this can stop the fire immediately.
Never use water on an electrical fire, and don't take any risks with your safety - get out, stay out and call 999.



Maintenance

 

    Electrical appliances, especially ones that run at high speeds and contain motors, like washing machines, should be serviced once a year by a qualified electrician.
    Plugs, sockets and cables also need to be used correctly, you should:
make sure you can’t see any coloured wires between the plug and the power lead – change the plug properly,
make sure the wires are held firmly in place inside the plug.
Use sockets safely – it’s better to use a bar adaptor (multi board) on a lead than a block adaptor, only use one adaptor per socket – don’t plug one adaptor into another and try to keep to one plug per socket.

 



If  in any doubt, don’t compromise your safety and seek professional advice...

Finding qualified electrician



About 6700 fires a year are reported as having an electrical source, which includes faulty or inadequate wiring. These fires, along with electric shock accidents cause around 43 fatalities and 2900 serious injuries every year. Cables, switches, socket-outlets and other equipment can get worn over time and so it is important to get them checked and replaced by a qualified electrician.

What you need to know

It is important that electrical work is carried out only by those with the necessary knowledge, skill and experience of the type of electrical work to be undertaken.
The following organisations run registration schemes for competent electricians (these are sometimes called 'competent person' schemes):

 

  • British Standards Institution (BSI)
  • ELECSA
  • The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT)
  • NICEIC Certification Services


This scheme ensures that traders who sign up are fully qualified to do electrical work and provides a complaints procedure. You may also need to use a competent person to comply with Building Regulations.