Electrical safety tit-bits
Electricity has become a useful tool for cooking, heating, powering our industries, etc, but it can be harmful as well.
Electricity can therefore, be good or bad depending on how it is handled. Treat electricity with care by following these simple safety tips to protect your premises from fire outbreaks.
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• Switch off and unplug all electrical appliances when not in use
• Do not place electrical wires (cords) under carpets
• Premises with over twenty-five (25) years of electrical wiring should be re-wired to prevent possible fire outbreaks.
• Do not use inferior electrical cables and devices, they are potential causes of fire
• Unauthorised and illegal electrical connections must be discouraged.
Hire the services of a qualified electrician to work on your electrical installations
• Turn off gas or electricity supply to your cooker immediately after use
• Do not overload sockets with many electrical gadgets
• Do not replace fuse wire with nails, hair pins or large size wires
• Switch off all electrical appliances such as radio and television sets, cookers, pressing irons and electric kettles etc. when not in use.
• Do not allow amateur electricians to interfere with your electrical installations.
• Remember, electricity is a useful servant but also a very quick killer
• Warn children to keep off electrical gadgets
• Do not permit naked wires or cables in your home
• Change all broken switches in your home, they can kill
• When wiring a new house, only a qualified electrician with Energy Commission Certification should be contracted
• Your fridge can be dangerous, have its electrical wiring checked regularly
• Always switch off electrical appliances from the wall socket and remove the plugs after use.
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• As a precaution, do not lean against or hold an electric pole
• Test and inspect all electrical installations at least once every two years
• Do not overload electrical sockets. One appliance one socket should be the rule
• Never use a generator inside your room, garage or enclosed areas
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• Do not conceal power outlets (sockets) with office or domestic equipment such as fridges, tables, cupboards, etc.
• Decongest areas where switch boards are located
• Frayed or damaged cords should be replaced
• Exposed electrical cables should be trunked properly
• Do not run curtains over air-conditioners
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• Do not use extension cord in wet areas
• Refrain from touching anything electrical with your wet hands or bare feet
• Never leave a turned-on electrical appliance unattended to.
• Always turn off power before you plug or unplug electrical appliances
• Use of faulty electrical gadgets should be discouraged
By Public Relations Unit of the GNFS