On the Arrive Alive website, we find a rather comprehensive section on Safety with Electricity and Preventing Electrocution and Fire. Many of these guidelines are also applicable to Construction sites. We would like to share a few of these important safety suggestions:
The best advice to prevent unsafe situations and accidents with electricity are through effective & preventative maintenance:
- Appliances needing repairs or replacement should be attended to immediately.
- In our homes breakages and excessive wear and tear on electrical equipment can occur frequently so we need regular inspections and take precautions to ensure safety.
- If an appliance repeatedly blows a fuse, trips a circuit breaker or gives you an electrical shock, immediately unplug, repair or replace it.
What do we need to inspect?
- Breakages
- Wear/deterioration
- Signs of overheating
- Missing parts (screws, covers, switches)
- Faulty appliance controls
- Doors and covers that do not close smoothly or adequately.
- Correct labelling when needed (eg. Electricity requirements)
- Loose Fixtures or fittings
It is also important that we test our equipment regularly – switch it on and off and look for possible problems or faulty connections. Taking time to make sure you are using your equipment safely could save your life later on.
Plugs are an essential part of our lives as we depend on electricity for almost everything we do. Therefore, it is important for people of all ages to know how to use plugs safely.
The following tips are for you to use when buying and using plugs.
Look for the SABS sign and only use SABS-approved plugs.
Do not overload plugs – rather use an adaptor.
Inside the house / Safety with electrical cords and connections
Cords, like plugs, are an essential part of our environment but can also be a safety hazard.
How do we minimise the potential safety dangers caused by electrical cords?
- Use SABS-approved electrical wires or cords.
- Do not use frayed cords – Do not join cords with tape!
- Replace worn and frayed cords on appliances immediately.
- Keep cords well away from hot stoves and other hot surfaces.
- Avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets and rugs.
- Make sure that cords are not placed in areas with high traffic where people may trip over them.
- Do not let cords rest on furniture but rather let them run along walls and around furniture.
- Do not run cords through hinges or nail them to walls, floors or any other objects.
- Extension cords should be used on a temporary basis only. They are not a permanent wiring solution.
- Extension cords should have 3 pins (plugs with 2 pins are not earthed and should be used only with double insulated electrical equipment)
- Extension cords should not be used in wet areas – unless specially designed to do so
We would also like to share the following Safety Posters with the kind assistance of Eskom.
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