As school bells ring for the final time today, children up and down the country are looking forward to their well-earned 6 week summer holiday! Some parents may be anticipating the chaos commencing and “I’m hungry” or “I’m bored” on repeat! One thing that they don’t want to be expecting though, is an electrical incident with their child…
So, I’ve come up with a few pointers to keep you and your family ‘electrically’ safe:
- The only way to be safe from a fatal electric shock and reduce the risk of fire is to have RCD protection, either in the fusebox or as a plug-in.
- Keep appliance cords out of the reach of children, especially those connected to hot items such as kettles, irons, hair straighteners or hairdryers.
- Never leave an unconnected appliance cord plugged in and switched on (for example, a mobile phone charger). Young children may be tempted to put the end of the cord in their mouths.
- Don’t leave appliances like washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers running during the night or when you are out. If you do not have an RCD in your fusebox, use a plug-in RCD for these items.
- Appliances should be switched off when not in use.
- After a bath or shower, you should make sure your children are dried off thoroughly before they go anywhere near electrical things like games consoles – water and electricity can be deadly.
- This also means not letting your kids run straight from the paddling pool into the house where there are plugs, sockets and switches. Get them dry first.
- Keep drinks away from TVs, DVD players, stereos, speakers, computers, games consoles and anything else electrical.
Spending time in the garden?
There are many potential electrical hazards in the garden. For example, lawn mowers and hedge cutters can cut through their own electric cables, causing a risk of electric shock. It’s important to be vigilant at all times, especially if young children are nearby.
If you are working with electrical equipment in the garden, always use an RCD.
(Source: www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk)
If you are looking for any advice, then feel free to get in touch. Lets look out for each other and enjoy the summer!
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