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Kids and electricity don’t mix
As new parents, it can be terrifying to think of all the ways your child could get into trouble. Some of the most dangerous areas in your home are electrical.
Children don’t know what is and isn’t ok to play with yet, so to keep them safe, child-proofing your home and using these electrical safety tips for kids is a great idea. Prevention is always better than cure, and following these tips will help you protect your little ones from electrical injury.
Safety switches or RCD’s for switch boards
A safety switch or residual-current device (RCD) is a device that will shut off your electricity as soon as an electrical fault is detected. It happens in as little as 0.3 seconds.
They’re designed to stop electricity flowing through your or your families’ bodies, which can cause serious injury or even death. Whether you own or rent, you should consider having safety switches installed on all your circuits.
It’s a legal requirement for all new homes to have safety switches installed to safe-guard all power points and lighting circuits.
There are multiple kinds of safety switches, so if you’re unsure which would suit your needs, it’s best to speak to a qualified electrician. When it comes to a choice that might save a life, you want to make sure you’ve chosen the right option for the job.
Testing your Safety Switch or RCD
Like most electrical safety equipment, you should be testing your safety switches at least once or twice a year to make sure they are functioning perfectly. Changing them on a memorable date every year, like daylight savings, an anniversary, or at the start of the school holidays, is a great way to remind yourself.
Most safety switches and RCD’s have a button that you can press to create a small, safe leakage condition. If the RCD doesn’t shut off the electricity, it’s faulty and will need to be repaired as soon as possible.
Once a test has been carried out, a tag should be fixed to the device. The tag should identify who carried out the tests and when they were done.
Safe Appliances and Leads
Using an appliance with a faulty lead can cause all kinds of dangerous electrical problems, including electric shocks and fires. Little fingers have a way of finding all sorts of small damages that you might not notice normally. To make sure your appliances are safe to use, regularly check their leads.
In some cases, damage to your leads will be visible, like when the insulation cracks or pulls away from the plug. Unfortunately, the damage may not always be visible. Your appliance will likely still work, but it could be unsafe. If you’re ever unsure, a qualified electrician will be happy to check the lead for you.
You should also take care with appliances near water, unless they’re designed to be used when wet. Keep all plugged in appliances far away from where children in a bath or using a sink might be able to grab them.
Outdoor electrical connections are another potential hazard. A licensed electrical contractor can help you to make sure they’re safe from children playing with any weather-damaged connections.
Powerpoints and Switches
Children, especially toddlers, are naturally curious. To stop them exploring your powerpoints, fit each socket with a protector. Make sure you’ve had a look around from their view for exposed powerpoints, switches, or overloaded power boards behind furniture.
Faulty or broken fittings are another potential cause of fire or electrical shock. Make sure they’re not worn, overloaded, or showing any signs of damage. Discoloured pin entry points could be a sign of electrical shorting. If you see this on your powerpoints, it’s best to call a qualified electrician to come and assess whether they need replacing.
Surveillance
Sometimes it’s not so much about preventing fires and electrical shocks, but making sure that you can see what’s going on around your home. Getting CCTV footage of dangerous areas in your house, like the kitchen, pool, or shed, helps to make sure your children stay out of there.
In the event of an emergency, you’ll also be able to see exactly what happened, banishing the guesswork that can use up precious minutes.
Security Systems
Security systems aren’t only useful for keeping burglars out. They’re also good at keeping children in. Especially for those families in apartments or with second stories, window and door sensors let you know when your child is opening something that they shouldn’t be.
You can also set up motion sensors that will send you a notification when motion is picked up in your baby’s room. Whether you have an overly affectionate dog, a budding escape artist, or just want extra peace of mind, motion sensing keeps you aware of what’s happening in the room when you’re not there.
General home monitoring is another important feature of security systems. You shouldn’t only be monitoring for fire, smoke and carbon monoxide, but also health. If you’re home alone with the baby and suffer an accident, health monitoring can also help keep a new mum or dad worry-free by sending a medic alert signal if something happens.
If you haven’t done a full electrical safety check recently, now is the perfect time to double-check your safety switches, power points, appliance leads and security system features.
TPR Electrical are licensed and qualified electricians in Adelaide that will ensure your home is child-proofed with the best electrical safety techniques for children.
If you’re interested in speaking to one of our electrical contractors, give us a call or make an online booking today!