Electricity Safety Guide

We use electricity from the moment we wake up-to an alarm clock plugged into a wall socket or notification on a phone that's been charging over night-to the moment we go to bed-switching off the bedside lamp and closing our book (or switching off the TV). And largely we take it for granted, despite the nearly £600 the average household will spend on electricity bills each year.

All the volts coursing through our home and into our lights, appliances, and gadgets go unnoticed-until a fuse trips, we need to hire an electrician to install a new socket, a storm downs a power line and plunges us into darkness, or unfortunately, someone sustains a shock or an electrical appliance causes a fire.

Make sure you stay as safe as possible by following the simple steps laid out in this guide.

The risks of electricity

But perhaps we shouldn't be so cavalier about electricity. Direct contact with electricity can cause shock and burns, which can be fatal, and faulty or misplaced electrical appliances can cause fires and explosions. Household electrical accidents, including electrocutions and electrical fires, annually cause around 70 deaths and 350,000 injuries each year in the UK, according to data from the Electrical Safety Council. In fact, nearly half (49%) of all accidental house fires in Britain are caused by electricity.

The ESC has cautioned that millions of us are at risk of death or serious injury because of our ignorance about electricity, or carelessness around it. The ESC has estimated that more than 12 million people in Britain may be knowingly using faulty plugs or sockets and that an additional 1.5 million could be ignoring burning smells coming from an appliance or socket. Untold thousands are covering lamps, using electronic gadgets too close to the bath, and leaving cords where they can be tripped over or chewed by children and pets.

Nearly all electrical accidents are easily prevented with a little education and attention. So how do you keep yourself safe around electricity and electrical appliances at home? Read on.

Tips for electrical safety at home stay safe in the kitchen

Kitchens are filled with electrical appliances, water supplies, and cooking equipment, which can interact with deadly consequences if you're not careful. And as our kitchen surfaces have become more and more crowded with new electrical gadgets, from blenders to waffle makers, the risk has only increased. To stay safe with electricity in the kitchen, take these precautions:

Diy with caution

Botched DIY is implicated in nearly half of all electric shocks leading to severe injury in the UK, according to the ESC. And you don't even have to be overly ambitious in your home improvement to accidentally expose yourself to electricity. The most common blunders of hobbyist builders include cutting or sawing through the cords of power cables, drilling or nailing into wires, and trying to repair electrical appliances while they're still plugged in. The ESC has run a campaign called "Don't Die for DIY," encouraging DIY enthusiasts to take care with their weekend projects, to...

Keep electricity out of the bathroom

Water and electricity can be a fatal combination. In the UK, no sockets apart from shaver-supply units are permitted in bathrooms and shower rooms, unless they are at least three meters from a water supply. Because you don't have access to sockets, you probably won't be tempted to bring mains-powered electrical devices like radios, hairdryers, or heaters into the bathroom. But don't try to circumvent building codes by running them on extension cords from other rooms.

Electrical showers should be supplied by their own circuit directly from your consumer unit.

Electrical safety with children

When childproofing your home, pay particular attention to its electrical supply, including sockets and appliances. Curious children can severely injure themselves by prodding at plugs and even biting into power cables. In 2010 and 2011, 60 children under 15 were admitted to hospital in Britain after suffering electrical shocks.

To protect your child from electrical injury, take the following precautions