Faulty electrics, appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets cause around 7,000 house fires across the country every year.
Download our handy leaflet (PDF) and keep it somewhere safe to remind yourself of our top tips for electrical safety.
How to avoid electrical fires
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Make sure an electrical appliance has a British or European safety mark when you buy it.
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Keep electrics (leads and appliances) away from water.
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Remember - one plug per socket. If you need more plugs than there are sockets, use a bar-type fuse adaptor.
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Unplug appliances at night or when you’re not using them to reduce the risk of fire - unless they are designed to be left on all the time such a fridge or freezer.
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Keep electrical appliances clean and in good working order to prevent them starting a fire.
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Don’t put anything in the microwave that is made of metal, or has a metallic finish or parts.
Lighting and lamps
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Don’t position lights or bulbs near curtains and other fabrics. The heat, which you cannot see, will set the fabric above alight within hours.
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Ensure you have the correct bulb for the light fitting.
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When installing lights, such as down-lighters, only use a qualified electrician.
Plugs and sockets
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Watch for signs of dangerous or loose wiring such as: scorch marks, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that often blow, circuit breakers that trip for no obvious reasons and flickering lights.
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Don’t overload sockets - plugging too many electrical appliances into one socket can lead to overheating.
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Certain appliances, such as washing machines, should have a single plug to themselves, as they are high powered.
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An extension lead or adaptor will have a limit to how many amps it can take, so be careful not to overload them to reduce the risk of fire. Appliances use different amounts of power - a television may use a 3amp plug and a vacuum cleaner a 5amp plug for example.
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Look out for signs of badly wired plugs - any coloured wires sticking out could come loose and debris could also get into the plug making it a fire hazard.
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Never cut sealed plugs off to use them again.
Socket overload calculator
The Socket Calculator has been brought to you by the Electrical Safety Council. For more safety information visit www.esc.co.uk
Product recalls
Visit the trading standards website regularly to see the latest product recalls.
http://www.tradingstandards.uk/advice/advice-recall-list.cfm
Did you know that only 36% of consumers register all of their large domestic appliances?
Register your appliance quickly and easily with the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) www.registermyappliance.org.uk
Why Register?
- Be the first to know of any safety repairs or recalls
- Improve your after sales service
- Keep in touch with upgrade news
