3 Essential Aspects to Add to Your Electrical Safety Checklist

There are typically two types of emergencies that homeowners have to deal with. The first type is those that cause inconvenience and make a mess. Then some can be life-threatening and cause severe, and sometimes irreparable, damage to your home or property. 

House fires caused by faulty electrical components are among the more severe emergencies that fall into the second category. Fortunately, the emergency electrician Canberra locals rely on is standing by to assist you with issues before they become life-threatening emergencies. Many homeowners create seasonal checklists to help them keep track of repairs and components that need to be checked to avoid potential emergencies. 

Electrical Checklists Are Essential to Home Safety

Studies have shown that there are an average of 17,000 house fires reported in Australia every year. The Fire and Rescue Service NSW have announced that 40% of these can be traced back to faulty electrical appliances and worn components. 

We want to help you prevent your home from becoming another statistic. To do this, our team of experts have compiled a few crucial aspects that must be added to your seasonal safety checklist. 

Install, Upgrade, and Test Smoke Alarms

Every home and workspace should have modern and fully functioning smoke alarms and detectors. Smoke alarms shouldn’t be a nice-to-have, but rather a must-have. It’s essential to highlight that Australian law dictates that all residential homes should have smoke alarms. 

Here’s what you need to know:

• Opt for photoelectric smoke alarms that are linked to an interconnected system. This means that if one alarm goes off, the others will go off too. 
• The best place to install smoke alarms is just outside the sleeping areas, such as hallways and passages. This will ensure that the alarm can warn residents before the fire reaches them. Our experts recommend installing smoke alarms in children’s rooms as an added safety measure. 
• Maintain your smoke alarms by changing the batteries regularly and ensuring that they are dusted and clean. 
• Perform monthly tests by simply pressing the test button and checking the time it takes to sound the beep.
• If you have older smoke alarms, speak to your local electrician for modern upgrades. 

Don’t Ignore Your Electric Appliances

Electrical appliances and faulty components have been highlighted as common causes of house fires. This means that you should add the following tips and guidelines to your checklist: 

• Unplug all electrical appliances when they’re not in use. 
• Keep plugs, wiring, and cabling away from spaces where they can be damaged or tripped over. 
• Place smaller appliances out of reach of children. 
• Routinely check your appliances for frayed cords or worn-out components. These need to be replaced as soon as possible. 
• Ensure that there is adequate ventilation around appliances such as the fridge and dryer. 
• Never leave your iron switched on or face down on the ironing board.

When it comes to electrical components in your home, it’s also essential to check your power outlets and, of course, your home’s electrical switchboard. Many older homes have outdated switchboards that haven’t been upgraded. 

As modern appliances and other electronic products are plugged in, the switchboard can become overloaded. This can lead to wires or other components overheating, which in turn leads to a fire or electrical shock. Speak to your electrician about upgrading the switchboard. 

Emphasise and Enforce Kitchen Safety Rules

Kitchens are often most at risk of causing house fires. This is because you may be working with high heat and flammable materials. It’s essential to enforce kitchen safety rules to ensure that everyone is aware of them at all times. 

The top tips to keep in mind in your kitchen include:

• Never leave cooking unattended in the kitchen, and be sure to set your stove to a lower setting if it seems to be exceptionally hot. 
• Children using the stove, kettle, or other appliances should always be supervised. It’s important to teach them fire and kitchen safety rules as they learn to use appliances. 
• When deep frying, using hot oil or cooking fat, ensure that flames can’t reach the contents of your pan or pot. Always use a deeper pan for deep frying to ensure that the oil or fat doesn’t splash out onto the stove or surroundings. Make use of splash guards over your open pans to prevent hot oil from splashing onto the stove and causing a fire. 
• Invest in a meat or baking thermometer to ensure that you heat your oil, water or other liquids to the right temperatures.
• Keep windows open in your kitchen to increase ventilation.

Final Thoughts

Setting time aside to check your electrical components, power outlets, and switchboard will go along toward giving you assurance that all your electrical components are functioning properly. You can also speak to your local electrician about performing an electrical assessment to identify any old, worn, or risky components. This will ensure that faulty components are removed and replaced before they can cause an emergency. 

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