The
UK electrical safety charity Electrical Safety First has launched a
Summer campaign surrounding electrical safety in the garden. You
don't need to be an avid gardener to be at risk from electrical
dangers in the garden. Simply giving your lawn a quick once over
with your Flymo is enough to give you a serious electrical shock or
injury.
Who
is at risk?
Anyone who uses electrical equipment in their garden is at risk.
That is most of us as let's face it, it makes gardening a lot easier
to just get the mower, strimmer or hedge clippers out without another
thought! Whether your garden is a roof top terrace or a lavish green
space, it is worth noting that 300,000 people a year end up in
hospital due to injuries sustained in the garden. A third of
accidents are a result of electrical equipment misuse.
What
do we mean by misuse?
By misuse we're not suggesting that you had a crazy moment with a
hedge trimmer, but rather making a mistake that many of us are guilty
of doing. You have probably mown your lawn a thousand times before,
but a new mower is always a bit different. Did you know that 18% of
men and 13% of women never read the instructions before using
gardening equipment? We all know someone who never reads the
instructions, but they can contain nuggets of useful information
that may actually save your life in the event of a mistake or even an
equipment malfunction.
What
sort of mistakes are we talking about?
One
of the main types of electrical accident – 25% in fact that occurs
in the garden is accidentally cutting through the electrical lead on
mowers and hedge trimmers. It's an easy mistake to make and live
cable could cost you your life if you touch it accidentally. Death
by electrocution. Not a nice thought is it?
However,
electrical death or injury caused by gardening equipment could be
reduced significantly by using RCD protection. As electricians in London we see all too often the life saving benefits of RCD
protection in the home. Appliances can malfunction often without
your knowledge, cables can deteriorate without you realising and
accidents can easily occur outside – from electrical appliances
accidentally dropped in a paddling pool to not checking an appliance
before using it.
Is
RCD protection expensive?
Obtaining
RCD protection for your whole home would be in the form of a consumer
unit upgrade. Your home may already have protection, simply look for
a T or Test button on your consumer unit and press it. If your power
goes off instantly, then you have working RCD protection. At Fulcher Edwards we fit up to date consumer units for home owners and
landlords across London, however there are more budget friendly
options available.
You
could opt for an NICEIC electrician to fit some RCD sockets in your
home which will give you RCD protection for appliances which are
higher risk (such as gardening equipment) and for appliances that are
left unattended (such as kitchen appliances) that way you have peace
of mind that there is RCD protection where it most matters.
There
are also RCD plugs available at sensible prices on the High Street.
Always purchase these from reputable sources so you can be sure of
receiving a genuine product. RCD plugs plug into a standard socket,
and you then plug in your equipment or appliance into the RCD plug.
This will offer RCD protection to the appliance and the user so long
as you test the plug before every use.
Here
at Fulcher Edwards, we recommend that all gardening equipment is
protected by some form of RCD protection. Unfortunately two thirds
of gardeners do not use any RCD protection or have never heard of it.
Avoid
being a statistic this Summer
The
last thing you want is to end your gardening session with a trip to
the hospital. By following a few simple steps particularly by using
RCD protection when gardening will avoid this situation occurring.
Reading
the manufacturers instructions and using the appliance in accordance
with them will also prevent nasty accidents occurring in the first
place.
Your
garden should be a place to relax and here at Fulcher Edwards, we are
committed to ensuring it stays that way!
No comments:
Post a Comment