Recent records of home fires reveal something really terrific and call for concern. The record gives that at the beginning of the last decade more than 13000 homes were set on fire just due to malfunctioning of electrical appliances used in the household.
The news is really shocking and painful too because the fire-hazards caused over two hundred deaths.
What are the major electrical appliances used in the home?
- Television
- Audio player
- Computer/laptop
- Video player
- Kitchen appliances like micro-waves, mixer, juicer, heater, exhaust, grinder, toaster etc.
- Washing machine
- Refrigerator
- Cooler
- Air conditioner
- Vacuum cleaner
- Water heater
- Iron
- Fans, light-bulbs etc
Major accidents of electric shocks and fires take place due to short circuits, loose plugs, improper wiring, bad cords and ground faults.
So to keep electrical hazards away from your home, the above-mentioned aspects related to the setting and handling of electrical appliances have to be inspected at regular intervals.
Rules to follow
- The thumb rule is for a yearly wiring test to be conducted so that there remain no possibilities of loose contacts and short circuits. Don’t wait for a problem to pop up and then search for the remedy. Make it a routine as you maintain for health care.
- Its a warning for people who are staying in houses at least a decade old. Grounding problems are common. Each and every wiring needs close testing and wherever repairs are required another test should be done.
- The most dangerous habit in many households is to pull the electric cord under the carpets and rugs. Any loose contact and spark won’t be detected as the cord remains hidden underneath and fire will easily break out.
- Electrical cords with broken bodies should never be used. Replace them immediately before putting into use.
- Never pull cords through extension from one room to another over the walls or through the gaps. The possibility of loose contacts and electrical shocks is enhanced. It is much safer to have individual plug points in every room and use the electrical appliances separately.
- Check the fuses from time to time. If you feel that switches or the plug points are getting hot once on or with the insertion of cords, report it immediately to an electrical technician and don’t use anything in that particular point.
- To avoid any sort of accidents due to ignorance, always cover those unused or problematic points and electrical outlets with plastic tape or plugs. This will give anyone an easy detection of some kind of disorder in it.
- The 3-prongs cord must be handled with special care and any removal of the prong is inhibited. This is done to avoid any sort of grounding hazard.
- Lightning and thunder are great risks for electrical devices in use. Shut down every electrical apparatus immediately when there is lightning if your apartment doesn’t have lightning coverage protection. Shut down the computer immediately.
More or less these are the key areas related to the handling of electrical appliances at home. And safety should be the primary concern in every household regarding their application.
