Electrical safety

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.

Plugs and sockets

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

hot plugs or sockets,scorch marks, fuses that oftenblow, or flickering lights - they are all are signs of loose wiring or other electrical problems
badly wired plugs – any coloured wires sticking out couldcome loose and debris could also get into the plug
overloaded sockets – plugging too many electrical appliances into one socket can lead to overheating

Cables and leads

The risks with cables and leads include:

gettingfrayed 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 couldbe 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

Appliances

For electrical appliances, you should never:

get them wet – this includes plugs and sockets, so don’tput a vase of flowers on top of the TV, for example
leave them 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.

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

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

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 correctfuse:

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'ssafe 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.

Electrical safety during a power cut

Some advice to stay safe during a power cut:

never approach broken lines or damaged poles, and keep children and animals away - report damage to Northern Ireland Electricity on 08457 643 643 and listen to recorded messages carefully
if you are using a generator, be careful where you site it in case of carbon monoxide poisoning
turn off electric cookers, ovens, irons, etc. if electricity supply is lost
leave a light switched on so you know when power has been restored
take extra care if using candles, oil lamps or other naked flames
test smoke alarms with fresh batteries
ensure adequate ventilation if using gas heaters