Young children are inquisitive and fast. There is no telling which corner of your house they will be exploring in the next minute. On the other hand, older children and teenagers are tech-savvy. On average, a teenager today is surrounded by 25% more electrical gadgets than their parents did at that age.
Where survey indicates that almost half of all house fires
are caused by electrical faults, so it comes as a shock therefore that most
parents stop at plug covers when considering electrical safety for their homes.
What is even more alarming is that what they consider as the ultimate
protection is actually a safety hazard!
Every parent needs their children
to be in a safe environment. To avoid disastrous or fatal experiences,
let’s get to know what it is like to have a home that is electrically
safe for children.
Introduction
Electricity is among the best man-made inventions. Yet, very
dangerous and fatal, considering how closely we interact with it every single
day. It poses the risks of causing burns, fires, shocks, and death.
In our homes, our children are exposed to these risks
through electric switches, sockets, plugs, and gadgets such as phones, TV sets,
iron boxes, hair driers and curlers, and ovens.
Knowing and teaching
our children how these everyday gadgets can harm and even kill is
extremely important.
What Can You Do to Make Your Home Electrically Safe for Your Children
For electrical safety in a home with children, it is crucial
that you do the following.
- Do
not rely on socket-outlet plugs – Contrary to what you might have
thought, these are in fact more dangerous than uncovered sockets. Modern
sockets and extension cables have an inherent safety mechanism in the form
of insulation shutters on the live and neutral points of the outlets. On
the other hand, socket inserts being sold are highly unregulated. And some
children will quickly learn how to maneuver or to remove them, endangering
themselves as they do so.
- Switch
off and keep away electrical appliances and gadgets that are not in use.
Have lockable cupboards or out-of-reach storage spaces to keep blenders,
juicers, hair curlers and straighteners, toasters, iron boxes, hot water
heaters, and so on.
- Electrical
cords and plugs that are not in use should also be placed out of reach of
small children. Other than being electrical hazards, they are also
tripping hazards.
- Anchor
to the wall or floor big appliances such as refrigerators, TVs, portable
sound systems, and cookers.
- Keep
cooking stoves, cookers, gas cylinders, and gas outlets out of reach –
Children tend to innocently play with gas knobs and they can turn them on
without you realizing it. Also, ensure that handles of cooking pans are
turned out of reach of curious little helping hands while you cook.
- Keep
dangling cables/ cords tucked away and out of reach.
- Replace
broken or naked cables. And repaired frayed wires, loose or damaged
sockets, and switches.
- Switch
power off, unplug and put away chargers that are not being used. eg phone
and laptop chargers. – Children can either put these in their mouths or
place them in fluids, risking electrocution.
- Check
and ensure that electric cables are not pierced or pinched under furniture
or doorways. Do not run electrical cords under rugs.
- Unplug
and put in a safe place hot gadgets immediately after use. Eg. Iron boxes
and water heaters.
- Ensure
that all your electrical appliances are safe to use.
- Ensure
that all gadgets that overheat when plugged in are used in an open space
to enable heat to escape.
- Keep
extension cables/cords off the floor. – They are a shocking and
electrocution hazard in case of an accidental water spill.
- Keep
all electrical gadgets and appliances away from water. Do not drink or
encourage your children to take their meals while near electrical gadgets.
- Do not
overload socket outlets.
- Do not
yank off electric cords from sockets. Instead, carefully pull off the
plugs.
- Keep
flammable liquids like alcohol, spirit, or ethanol locked away in a safe
place.
Electrical Safety Measures to Teach Your Children.
Handle by the plug.
- No
yanking off electrical cords or chargers from the sockets. Use plugs as
handles.
- Never
put objects or fingers in power outlets.
- Never
place metal objects inside electrical gadgets like ovens, blenders, or
toasters.
- To
unplug an electrical appliance before cleaning it.
- To
never touch an electrical device with wet hands.
- To
never place phones under the pillows as they sleep, whether they are
charging or not. – As phones are prone to overheating, placing them under
heat insulations such as pillows means that the heat will have nowhere to
escape. The heat will keep building up to the point of burning or
explosion.
- Not to
connect and use earphones on charging phones.
In addition to the above precautions, there are two safety
measures that you should confirm in the building that you live in. Or in places
where your children are bound to spend time, such as nurseries and daycare
centers.
- RCD
Protection.
It is necessary, and a requirement that every house should
have an RCD (Residual
current device) protection device installed. RCDs are considered to be
lifesaving.
RCD is a device that monitors the flow of electrical current
through a circuit. Where an imbalance in the flow is detected, e.g., because
someone has touched a naked wire, the device switches off the flow of
electricity through that circuit immediately; preventing further damage or
injury.
RCDs are available as portable small devices that plug into normal sockets, can be in the form of the socket itself, or can be installed in the main consumer unit, offering protection to the whole household.
- Circuit
Breakers,
All domestic electrical circuits done professionally will
have this installed as part of the consumer unit. If you open the fuse box of
your house, you might be able to identify this. There is likely to be one big
switch and consecutive smaller ones labeled MCBs (Miniature circuit breakers.)
The circuit breaker offers safety by cutting off supply to
your house (tripping) in the case of an overcurrent. This can be caused by
short- circuits, improper grounding, and faulty wiring.
Conclusion
It is paramount for every parent to have basic knowledge of
electrical safety at home to keep their children protected.
As you have seen, simply putting out of the way your phone’s
charger can mean the difference between life and death. And it will cost you
absolutely nothing extra to keep your children safe from electrical hazards.
To protect our children and households from electrical accidents and fires, it would be prudent to take the first step by doing an electrical safety audit in your household. Print out this article and use it as a guide to putting all electrical devices and cables in order. Also, take your older children through the 7 important lessons above.