Electrical safety

These simple steps can help you avoid accidents:

• always make sure that new electrical appliances carry the label of the British Electrical Approval Board (BEAB) guarantee of safety sign
  
• make sure that plugs are wired correctly and that fuses are working
  
• do not use long flexes
  
• do not have too many items or adapters plugged into one socket
  
• check flexes and fittings regularly for worn or damaged parts or loose connections
  
• make sure radiant fires have safety guards
  
• never touch plugs, switches or electrical equipment if you have wet hands
  
• never use portable electrical equipment in the bathroom (except shavers with a special shaver socket)
  
• Always use good quality undamaged plugs and wire them correctly (only one appliance per plug)
  
• Never plug an appliance into a light fitting
  
• Never run flexes where they can touch something hot, or under carpets or lino, and make sure they are not damaged
  
• Never use any electrical appliance other than a shaver in the bathroom, and only if it is plugged into a proper shaver socket
  
• Never put clothes too near a heater, even a convector or storage heater
  
• Never adapt or extend supplies to storage heaters, and do not fit time switches or delays to radiant fires
  
• Never cover or block extractor fans or fan heaters

For more advice on electrical safety, contact your electricity supplier.