Across Australia, we are spending more time at home now than ever before; and unfortunately, this is not likely to change any time soon.
This means it has never been more important to help make sure your home is safe for you and your family. However, there are a lot of day-to-day safety risks that we all overlook every day.
When it comes to keeping everyone safe, prevention is better than cure. So to help, our O'Brien Electrical experts have compiled these 5 proactive home safety tips.
1. Do not overload sockets and power boards
With more people working from home, using chargers, computers, monitors and more, it’s crucial to make sure that sockets and power boards are not getting overloaded. This can potentially cause electrical breaks, which pose a danger to your home as they can lead to fires or electric shock. To help prevent this, make sure you are switching off sockets and power points when you are not using them. Also, don’t plug too many appliances or devices into just one socket using multiple power boards or double adaptors.
2. Install a Safety Switch
To help further protect your family, our Electrical experts recommend having a Residual Current Device (RCD) or Safety Switch installed in your household. These devices monitor your power supply and quickly shut off if any safety issues are detected. So, if anything was to happen, like a light bulb blowing, using an appliance with an electrical fault, a socket burning or water getting into an electrical connection, the RCD or Safety Switch would be the first line of defence to help protect your household from electric shocks or sparks which can cause a fire.
3. Be Fire Smart
Fires are a significant risk in households and can pose a serious danger to you and your family. Keeping an eye on all the little things can make a big difference.
For example, making sure to keep curtains, clothes or bedding away from portable heaters, and be mindful not to leave stoves or open flames, like candles, unattended.
Keep wet clothes at least a metre away from heaters or fireplaces, and never place clothes or towels directly onto your heater. Also, don’t forget to clean the lint filter every time you use a clothes dryer, as leftover lint can easily catch fire.
4. Check Smoke Alarms
Speaking of which – it’s important to have functioning smoke alarms installed in your house. O'Brien Electrical experts recommend smoke alarms be installed in all bedrooms and living spaces, considering that a lot of household fires occur when people are sleeping. Make sure you test your alarms at least once a month to ensure they’re fully operational.
You should also make sure your smoke alarms are interconnected – meaning that if one alarm goes off, the rest of the smoke alarms in the house will also be alerted. Having smoke alarms with photoelectric sensors further helps your home safety, as they best detect smoke and smouldering fires, which are most common in households.
Any smoke alarm in your home must meet the requirements of Australian Standards and should be installed by a licensed electrician in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
At O'Brien, all our professional electricians are licensed and fully qualified, meaning they are ready to help you with all of your smoke alarm needs, from questions to installation and replacement.
5. Talk to an O'Brien Expert
If you are unsure about electrical safety in your home, or you have any concerns, speak to a licensed O'Brien Electrician today. No matter what your electrical inquiry is, our local and experienced technicians can answer all your questions and provide electrician services if required.
Remember: you and your family’s safety are the number one priority. Paying close attention to these tips and being proactive will mean you have more peace of mind every day.
