Electrical safety

Pay attention to electrical safety: repair broken switches, plugs and light fittings or any exposed wiring immediately.

Home Electrical Safety Checks, (EICR Electrical Installation Condition Report)

The electrical regulations (BS7671) recommended that you have your homes fixed wiring checked and reported on in to ensure it is safe for continued use. More information on these reports is available here.

The maximum recommended interval between these checks is,

• Upon purchase of a property, (this can be included as part of the legal process.)
• 10 years for privately owned properties
• 5 years or change of tenancy for RENTAL properties, this has been a requirement by law since 1st June 2020 for private landlords in England.
• Switch off any appliances when not in use.
• Never take electrical items into the bathroom.
• Do not touch electrical appliances with wet hands.
• Get to know your fuse board/consumer unit and how it works,

Manufacturer’s instructions should be available on their website or on enquiry

Keep sockets safe from children by fitting socket covers.

Smoke alarms are the first responder in the event of a fire, so it is vital you have adequate protection that is in full working order.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an extremely poisonous gas that is tasteless, odourless and colourless; it is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, such as gas, wood and coal. The best way to stay protected is with alarms.

Make Sure Your Alarms Work

Guidance on fire alarm testing and general fire safety in the home is available from GOV.UK here.

Appliance safety in your home

Product Recalls and Safety Notices

While reputable manufacturers supplying the UK market have to follow strict rules to ensure consumer safety, sometimes safety issues come to light after after a product has been in put into circulation. In many instances the manufacture will issue a recall or safety notice.

In the UK, the response rate to an electrical product recall is worryingly low, largely due to people failing to register their appliances. This means that there are potentially millions of recalled electrical items still in the UK. Advice can be published by or can be sort from manufacturers about individual appliances.

Also appliances can be checked against a database here.

The manufacturers advice should always be followed to ensure products are used as they are intended and operate safely.

Don't overload sockets

Plugging too many devices into one socket and overusing extension leads can lead to overheating and fires.

Buy reputable electrical goods

Cheaper ‘unofficial’ electrical products such as phone chargers may not meet safety regulations, increasing the risk of fire. You may need to be extra vigilant while using online suppliers. For extra advice visit the ‘guidance’ pages on the Electrical Safety First website.

Charging Batteries

Recently there have been many worrying cases of fire/explosion associated with the charging of batteries, partially batteries in mobility scooters, Escooters, Ebike. Due to the nature of these incidents, we make special reference to this. Further information is available here.