Simple Tips to Stay Safe with Electricity

Simple Tips to Stay Safe with Electricity

Electrical safety is a topic that we at Sustainable Industries, along with our electricians in Brisbane always like to reiterate. Apart from keeping yourself safe around electricity along with a number of electrical safety precautions are required if you want to keep your home safe from electrical fires, injuries, and worse.
After all, there are dangers when it comes to electricity. So, it is only natural for you to make safety your utmost priority. Thus, you can prevent any electrical problem such as electrocution, electrical fires, and other electrical injuries. Sadly, a lot of people do not prepare for these mishaps since nobody expects to be in a situation where you have to deal with such emergency electrical situations. 
However, it a fact that most, if not all homeowners and property owners will at one point experience and deal with electrical emergencies.
The first step that one must do is to save the number of an emergency electrician in Brisbane on your phone. This way you don’t have to cram when you are faced with an electrical emergency. Always call an electrician when you run into an electrical problem, do not try to fix it yourself.
Nevertheless, it may take a bit of time before your electrician gets to your home or office. In the meantime, there are several actions you can take to keep yourself safe.

Electrical Risks and the 3 Hazards of Electricity
When using electricity, you need to understand that there are several dangers. The fact is that there are more than 3 hazards involved in using electricity. Nevertheless, in this article, we are only going to focus on the 3 main ones – and they are: electrical shocks, short circuits, and electrical fires.
There are many factors that can cause each of these problems. However, they do have things that are in common – exposed, worn, or damaged wiring.

One fact about electricity is that it always seeks the path with least resistance. In normal scenarios, wires with proper insulation makes electricity flow in a designated path. Aside from protecting you from electrocution, it also ensures that power is properly and continuously supplied to your appliances.
But when a wire is broken, damaged, or worn out, it gives the electricity an alternate path or an escape path, which results in all of the three abovementioned hazards.

Exposed Wire: Is it Dangerous?

Exposed wire is a true electrical emergency that you need to take seriously. With the hazards mentioned above, it should come as no surprise if you now treat it as such.

So, is there a way to detect exposed wires? If there is, how?
There are instances when you get luck and the damage caused by exposed wire is easy to see. Unfortunately, this is not the case at all times. Normally, an exposed wire can be a bit difficult to spot. In such cases, here some of the signs you can look out for when identifying these issues:
• Burning smell
• Frizzling and crackling sounds
• Smoke
• Warm electrical outlets

When it comes to exposed wires, you need to put utmost importance to your safety. There are some safety precautions that you can follow to stay safe, especially if you’re not sure whether you have an exposed wire or not, while you are waiting for your electrician to turn up.
• Turn off the main switch or main electrical circuit
• Isolate the exposed electrical wiring
• Block off the affected area

After you have taken these safety precautions, your only job is to wait for your sparkie to turn up and deal with the issue.

Why is Electrical Safety Essential?
Reasons why electrical safety is important

The obvious reason for the importance of electrical safety is that it protects you, your family and your property from electrical hazards. Nevertheless, it is not the only reason why it is so important. There so many electrical hazards that occur in your daily life, which is why electrical safety is an important practice that you should never overlook.

In fact, you should prioritise electrical safety. Most businesses and workplaces provide electrical safety guidelines and training. As such, imagine how more important electrical safety is for your home? This is particularly crucial with electrical fittings outside which has a considerably higher risk than those located inside a home.

In addition to these cases, it is particularly important to have these issues checked by an outdoor electrician.

Staying Safe Around Electricity Whether Inside or Outside
Will help you avoid more than just electrocution

One of the most common and obvious outcomes of electrical hazards is electrocution. But bear in mind that it is not the only outcome. By taking precautionary measures to protect yourself from electricity, you can also be safe from an assortment of injuries and health hazards resulting from being exposed to electricity including burns, cardiac arrest, nerve and muscle damage, and thermal burns.

Makes you compliant with electrical safety regulations
This is very important for businesses. Electrical Safety Act 2002 and other electrical safety regulations govern all electrical installations in Australia. These were created so that electrical injuries, deaths, and property damages due to electrical damage or untoward incidents could be prevented. Mandatory standards for electrical appliances and installations are also set out by these regulations. If one fails to comply to these standards, a hefty fine could be imposed.

Decreases damage and medical costs
Medical costs for electrical-related injuries are often high. The same goes for the cost of repairing damages related to electrical fires, electrical damages, etc. When you stay safe around electricity, you will be able to prevent these additional expenses, which is all the more reason why you need to start scheduling electrical system inspections with a Brisbane electrician.

Electrical Safety Tips from Your Reliable Brisbane Electricians

Tip #1: Make sure your hands are dry before handling electrical wires and equipment
It doesn’t matter if your wiring is damaged or not, if you are going to handle electrical equipment, appliances, and wiring, you need to make sure that your hands are dry. It’s that simple, but it is one of the most effective ways to keep yourself safe from electrical shocks. Water is a conductor of electricity, which is why both adults and children should refer from touching outlets, wires, and appliances while their hands are wet. If something goes wrong, the water in your hands will make the effect of the shock much worse.

Tip #2: Before attempting to fix any electrical wire or fixture, switch off the main power.
Okay, so you have a busted light and want to replace it. Or there’s a burning smell that you want to track. Whatever electrical-related issue you are facing, do not forget to turn the power switch off first before touching or attempting to fix any electrical wirings or fixtures. To put it simply, it is a bad idea to tinker with anything electricity related while the power is still flowing.
So, it doesn’t matter if it is just a simple gesture of switching the sockets off or going straight to your main power switch, electrical safety must always start by cutting the power source so that you can avoid any accidents and injuries from occurring.

Tip #3: Do not overload your extension cords
This is a common habit for most people, and it is also one of that can be quite dangerous. Overburdened outlets, powerboards, and extension cords often lead to short circuit and other electrical problems like electrical overload. This is the reason why you need to be cautious when using them. Nevertheless, if you are in desperate need of more sockets, then it will always be best to contact a licensed and registered electrician so that you can add capacity to your electrical system.

Tip #4: Use power surge protection
During a thunderstorm there are certain times when electricity turns off and when this happens, electrical appliances and equipment tend to receive too much electricity, which can damage their parts. A power surge protector safeguards appliances, gadgets, and other electrical equipment from getting damaged due to sudden electrical surge or spike. These protectors are able to detect unexpected spikes in electricity and responds immediately by cutting the power supply to the appliances. Thus, it protects the components inside from getting fried, while protecting you from electrical dangers that accompany power spikes.

Tip #5: Call an electrician in Brisbane for safety purposes
The first and most efficient way to avoid electrical emergencies is with a regular inspection from a qualified and reliable electrician. These are pro at detecting even the slightest issues. They are also equipped and experienced in handling a range of electrical issues.
Sustainable Industries employs a team of electricians in Brisbane who are able to perform complete, accurate, and safe electrical inspections for both domestic and business properties. We have electrical contractors who can observe electrical safety practices, while helping you keep your electrical safety.
Aside from detecting electrical issues, our team is also capable for dealing or fixing these electrical problems, as well as provide expert advice that will keep you safe from electrical hazards, injuries, etc.

Prioritising Electrical Safety with the Help of a Reliable Expert Brisbane Electrician

Get in touch with a Brisbane electrician to protect your home and property from emergency electrical problems.
A reliable, qualified, and licensed electrical team will offer you a wide range of complete electrical services, which includes through or complete electrical inspections to make sure you avoid experiencing emergency electrical issues such as blown fuses, electrical fires, lighting and appliances failure, power failure or blackout, electrical fires, and safety switch failure. Furthermore, an expert electrical will also help you deal with electrical damage due to bad weather.

To keep you safe from electricity and to get the job done correctly the first time – is Sustainable Industries’ mission. Therefore, we make sure that we only provide the right electrical solutions to your home or commercial space.

If you detect anything wrong with your electrical system, get in touch with an expert! Contact Sustainable Industries’ 24-hour emergency electrician in Brisbane today on 1300 772 750 for the best service and advice or you can message us.