Electrical safety – what is it?
Electrical safety is nothing but general practice related to handling as well as maintenance of electrically powered equipments. The goal of electrician system or maintaining of it is to prevent accidents. Necessary training is crucial to correctly identify and also control electrical hazards. Identifying and controlling electrical hazards are most important to keep the environment safe for the people around. In the following sections of the blog post let us discuss few tried and tested tips on electrical safety. These tips are helpful avoiding electrical hazards both at homes and in commercial or industrial spaces.
Safety rules related to electricity
- Make sure electrical equipments do not touch wet areas
Make sure that water and all other liquids are at least 5 feet away from any electrical equipment. It is also important to maintain the same distance with any source of electricity. Install GFCIs or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters to prevent electrical hazards like shock, fire, overheating, ground fault and destruction of insulation wire in your property or premise.
- Practice safe use whenever unplugging
While disconnecting any electrical equipment you should always pull it gently by the plug. Make sure not to give the cord any jerk. When you pull by the cord the chances are high for the electrical cable to get damaged. It can even lead to an electrical shock.
- Install electrical cords properly and in tidy way
Neat and sound electrical installation invariably consists of fixed electrical equipments and electrical cords out of the way not to cause any inconvenience whatsoever. Those are also placed out of reach of your pets. Thus they cannot chew on those.
- It is important to know your switchboard
Basically a switchboard is an electrical safety device. It isolates and thus protects an operator from electrical current. It controls the flow of electricity. A switchboard divides, distributes and meters electrical power to different parts as well as devices. In order to ensure optimum performance as well as safety electrical power that enters into a switchboard must be equal to the quantity of power it distributes. Else the device may result in overheating which opens up the possibility of a fire.
- Always watch out for electrical lines
Whenever you are working at a height, climbing a tree or a ladder make sure to watch out for the power lines around you. Make this a habit to avoid any untoward incident.
- Make sure all electrical outlets are childproof
If there are children in the household, it is always better placing appropriate cover on electrical outlet in your home. This prevents electrocution to a large extent.
- Be cautious about flickering lights
If a light flickers it may be due to a loose connection or perhaps the light itself needs a replacement. But when multiple lights within your premise flicker, it may indicate a more severe condition related to your electrical system. Anyway, you just cannot afford to egg on the problem of flickering light or lights. You have to get it diagnosed by a trained and license electrician without any delay.
- Importance of installing warning signs
If there is high voltage nearby make sure to put up clear visible signs warning members of the public about it. This is utmost important.
- Stay away from DIY
Anything to do with electricity requires sound knowledge and expertise. One also requires possessing certain hands-on skill sets to tackle those issues. Without the necessary knowledge and expertise it is indeed risky to attempt fixing electrical issues in your home DIY. Instead of fixing an issue DIY effort made by novices rather create damage deeper down. It is best to avoid DIY on issues related to electrics. If any issue arises it is best to let an expert tackle it.
- Do not waste time to call for help
If there is an electrical emergency in your home or commercial space do not hesitate to seek professional help. Licensed and insured electricians provide emergency services 24/7 to put you along with your family members, employees and properties out of danger.
How Invisalign used to straighten teeth problems?
Now let us explore the basics of modern electrical safety mechanism. Devices or typical components of any modern electrical system involve residual current devices and circuit breakers. First let us start with residual current devices or RCDs. These safety switches are see inside an electrical consumer unit. An RCD continuously monitors power supply. It is important to mention that the entire power supply to a building is usually split into a number of circuits. Each of these circuits remains connected to varieties of electrical appliances. Electric current has to run through these circuits to bring the appliances to life. RCD devices placed in the electrical circuits are meant to monitor the power as well as control it.
RCDs are designed to prevent hazards relate to electricity. Electric current has a categorically defined path within a circuit to pass through. If there is any abnormality in the path of electric current the RCD understands that electric current is flowing through an abnormal way. Thus it trips to turn the circuit off. Electric current can no more pass through a circuit that is turn off. This is how the safety mechanism of the device prevents electric shocks and fires that could result in severe injuries or even prove to be deadly.
Circuit breakers are also electrical safety devices and have the same mechanism as RCDs. But there is a distinct difference between the two varieties of electrical safety devices. An RCD is designe to control multiple circuits at a time. A circuit breaker is capable to control only a single circuit. However in certain cases it can also control a section of a large circuit. Thus you will come across separate circuit breakers in each of the rooms of your house. Both an RCD and a circuit breaker come with specific ratings. If and when electricity flows beyond that rating the circuit breaker trips just as is the case with residual current devices. An electrician in central London explains as a result of this tripping, incident of electrical shocks and fires can be avoided.