Electrical safety around the home

It's important that you understand the risks that appliances in your home can create. They can cause accidents through electric shock and around half of all house fires in the UK are caused by electrical equipment.

How to avoid electrical fires:

• make sure an electrical appliance has a British or European safety mark when you buy it
• keep electrical leads and appliances away from water
• Use one plug per socket - if you need more plugs than there are sockets, use a bar-type fuse adaptor
• unplug appliances at night or when you're not using them to reduce the risk of fire - unless they are designed to be left on all the time (for example, a fridge or freezer)
• keep electrical appliances clean and in good working order