Most, if not all, people know that mains electricity in the home is lethal. This means that if you come into contact with a live terminal, live wire or metalwork, which because of a fault is charged with electricity, you will receive an electric shock which could be fatal.
Electricity at the mains voltage of 240 V is present at every ceiling rose, lampholder, switch, socket outlet and other outlets. It is also present at every electrical appliance connected to the mains when plugged into a socket outlet and the switched socket is ‘ON’. Read the rest of this entry »
Most people have a healthy respect for electricity and understand that it can be dangerous — even lethal — if misused. Electricity at all voltages should be respected. Anyone who does not follow the basic rules of electricity is not only a danger to himself but to everyone around him. Electrical accidents are avoidable: most are due to plain carelessness and failing to follow the basic rules.
There are about sixteen million homes in Britain supplied with electricity and each one contains an average of about 25 electrical appliances. Given the sheer number of items, it is perhaps surprising that there are fewer than 80 fatalities from electrical accidents a year. Although this represents only a small percentage of the entire population and represents only one per cent of the 8,000 deaths each year that result from accidents in the home, the figure is still far too high. Read the rest of this entry »
