Last
week it was Child Safety Week where there was major focus on keeping
children and young adults away from sources of danger in and around
the home. Topics included road safety, food plastics and staying
safe in the home.
Todays
blog is to reinforce an important message about the safe use of
electrical appliances in the home. The safety advice is not solely
for children, as any one of any age can become a victim of electrical
shock or injury as a result of misusing or careless use of an
electrical item.
How
can an electrical appliance put a life in danger?
On
the face of it, it seems like a ludicrous idea to suggest an
electrical appliance could harm or even kill you. However, the
frightening reality is that all electrical appliances present danger
in some way especially if they are not being used in the right way.
As
electricians in South East London, we carry out much of our work in
homes in and around London, so we see the way people use appliances –
especially small portables ones, on a daily basis. Often it is
not the appliance itself that is dangerous, but the way in which it
is being used that is the problem.
Small
appliances that can cause the most damage are the main culprits –
hair dryers, straighteners and irons – these appliances also have
long cords on them making them a bigger tripping or grabbing hazard –
get the picture?
Typical
dangers we encounter at Fulcher Edwards
- How many times do you put your hair straighteners away when you have finished with them?
People
often leave hair straighteners on the side to cool down before
putting them away. This is very dangerous particularly if you have
young children in the house. Hair straighteners can cause burns up
to 40 minutes after being switched off. Burns from hair
straighteners has doubled in recent years with 1 in 10 child related
burns being caused by them. Nearly half of all adults have suffered
a burn from a heated hair appliance too. The best place to put hair
straighteners after use is into a heat proof pouch where they can
cool down safely.
- We see countless pairs of hair straighteners left in childrens bedrooms with the cord stretched across the room.
It
goes without saying that this is a tripping hazard and could cause a
pair of hot straighteners to make contact with the skin – not nice.
In addition, young children can mistake the bright colours of hair
straighteners as toys and accidentally grab the hot plates. Even
older children can be caught out by accidentally touching the hot
plates whilst moving them.
- The risk of accident increases at busier times of the day.
We
all know what a rush it can be to get out of the door for work, or to
get the kids to school on time. The process is repeated towards the
end of the day, but this time, tiredness plays a major factor with
adults not being so on the ball and being distracted by cooking
dinner etc. It is between 3pm and 6pm when a child is more likely to
suffer a burn. This is often because an adult is off guard or busy
elsewhere in the home.
- Appliances are not stored away correctly
Trying
to use hair straighteners or irons is not easy with children who
often grab the long cords which in turn can drag the appliance onto
the floor where of course the child then suffers burns. When not in
use, remember to store appliances out of the reach of children, even
if they are still hot, place them on a shelf high up or the top of a
fridge freezer to cool down safely.
What
is the risk of electric shock?
Assuming
everything else is safe, then the risk of electric shock is very
small. However never leave old appliances in reach of children and
never take a risk by using an appliance you know to be unsafe.
If
you have any concerns about damage caused to your home electrics by a
dodgy appliance or would like to know how safe your home electrics
are, please call us, we are one of the leading electrical contractors in London.
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