In this day and age, we are incredibly reliant upon electricity and most of our homes are significantly powered by this form of energy. Despite our dependence on electricity, it remains a dangerous commodity and any electrician will tell you that there are many electrical hazards in the average home that pose particular risks to children.
It seems that almost invariably, young children are fascinated by electrical appliances and electrical outlets. Little fingers like to explore these items and frequently they find their way into tiny mouths. This is scary when the dangers of electricity are carefully considered.
However, some of these dangers can be addressed and your children protected when the following ten things are known about electrical safety, electrical services and children.
#1: Use face plates to conceal all electrical outlets in your home. Avoid having any open electrical outlets and keep in mind that it is possible to use sliding safety plates for outlets that are often used and complete covers for those that are rarely used.
#2: When your child is old enough, start to educate them about safety with power outlets. Children should be taught never to put anything into a power point and that anything that has a cord attached should not be touched. Sometimes, the use of pictures and graphics can help your child to learn this. For example, a picture of an appliance with a circle and cross going through it can assist your child to learn that appliances are not to be touched.
#3: When your child is mature enough to understand and do so, demonstrate how to safely unplug cords; children should be taught to pull cord out of the power point by holding onto the plug rather than the cord itself.
#4: Ensure that all electrical cords in your house are tied up or kept well out of sight and reach. Keep in mind that a cord that can be tripped on presents a safety and electrical danger, so it is wise to invest in clips and other equipment to tie cords out of the way.
#5: Frayed and damaged electrical cords should not be kept in the house. In order to protect your own safety and that of your family, it is important to have cords in such a state of disrepair replaced, or discard the appliance – it is not worth the risk.
#6: Electrical appliances should not be kept or used in the bathroom; instead, items such as hair dryers should be used in adult bedrooms where mirrors are also found. In terms of electricity and liquids, it is also vital to teach your children that electrical appliances and electrical outlets should never be touched with wet hands.
#7: It is a wise, safe and educationally valuable lesson to unplug all appliances when they are not being used. Many appliances have colourful and interesting buttons and switches that children just love to get their hands on and experiment with. The safest thing that you can do is to keep all electrical appliances unplugged and well out of your children’s access.
#8: Electrical safety also extends to outdoor situations. Teach your children and do not allow them to climb trees in close vicinity to power lines, electricity towers or utility poles. Also, children will not automatically realise the danger brought about by flying a kite without supervision or near to power lines and towers; be sure to educate them about this and protect them from such dangers.
#9: Children are often fascinated by the power tools that adults use. They need to know that these are definitely not toys and in any case, such tools should be kept well away from your child’s reach. A good way to pacify a curious child is to provide them with a set of tools specifically designed for play.
#10: Even older children should not attempt to replace light globes. When your child is old enough to do this (perhaps as a teenager) they should be supervised and educated that a light bulb should not be changed until it has cooled down and the light is definitely turned off.
Electricity presents many dangers to children. Parents and caregivers need to be proactive in taking steps to protect their children from these dangers and educate them in age-appropriate ways to behave safely around electricity.
L.E Electrical has been delighting our customers with responsive, trusted and professional electrical services since 2010. We are Portsmouth’s number one choice for electrical and security services in the residential and commercial sectors, We are experts in our field. We are available 24/7 for your electrical servicing needs. Get in touch with us today by calling us at 02393100260 or emailing us directly at admin@le-electrical.co.uk.