Driffield Electrician Issues Warning Over Dangerous Home Electrical Habits

A Driffield electrician is urging households to check their electrical safety habits as new research reveals a widespread lack of basic DIY skills and dangerous practices.

Mark Allison is warning that British people are unwittingly taking risks with electrical equipment at home due to a widespread lack of knowledge and DIY skills.

New research, which is being released as new wiring regulations come into force, has found that many people are not alert to the everyday habits that could raise the risk of injury or fire. This comes as households accumulate more gadgets and electrical devices without checking if their home is up to modern safety standards.

The data shows that more than half (56 per cent) of British people say they are not confident carrying out electrical DIY, a figure that rises to over 60 per cent among 25 to 34-year-olds.

Furthermore, nearly half of 18 to 24-year-olds have never even changed a lightbulb. Despite this lack of experience, many people admit they still engage in risky behaviours at home, such as overloading sockets and using damaged wiring.

Two in five people have never used a fuse box, while over half have never replaced batteries in smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, highlighting unsafe habits across the country.

With around 19,300 accidental domestic fires linked to electricity each year, which accounts for more than half of house fires in England, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) says the changes should act as a wake-up call for households.

Mark said:

"Yeah, I mean in the past it was more basic things where people had a go at changing light fittings and end up getting the wires mixed up and that's generally when our phone starts to ring, but these days we've got electrical equipment that people are connecting into wiring systems as well that might cause them trouble such as the recently announced plug-in solar systems that are going to be coming to the supermarket aisles pretty soon. So there's a lot for consumers to think about at the minute."

He did worry about the increasing spread of misinformation:

"Oh absolutely and when you put safety into the prime consideration of this stuff then cost would very rarely feature, as often as it does. You know we sleep in these homes at night our electrical systems need to be there to keep us safe and a lot of consumers feel that their electrical installation is safe because it very very rarely goes wrong it's only when something horrible has happened that you need those safety devices and you need your wiring to be in good condition. It's interesting that a lot of consumers haven't had their electrical installations tested in well over a decade when guidance from our industry is homeowner occupied properties should be tested at least once every 10 years."

Mark explained that the current economic climate is playing a part in the problem:

"But that comes from the point of view that while it works, nothing's broken. A lot of these safety mechanisms we have are only really needed when something has gone wrong and that very very rarely happens. So testing is a big one that consumers need to think about. Don't overload your extension leads that's another big one we see where often sockets are maybe not as prevalent in your home as you would like so they tend to get this daisy chaining effect of extension leads. So if you are going to use one of those make sure it is just one plugged directly into a socket and don't be overloading them with high powered equipment as well that's one of the biggest causes of fires in the home is overloaded extension leads so think about that before you start plugging everything into one point."

He added:

"A lot of it is driven by the cost of energy and the cost of tradespeople as well where we're all living in these times of expensive prices for basic food and heating and things we don't have a lot of disposable income to be spending on- people coming into our homes and doing repairs or new installations. So there's elements of that as well. And equally trying to save money off those energy bills by using some of these plug-in solar systems. We see the adverts and marketing around them and yeah it's all driving that forward. So I think a lot of that boils down to cost and expense."

A new edition of the IET Wiring Regulations was published on Wednesday, updating guidance for electricians, engineers and the wider construction sector to ensure electrical installations continue to meet modern safety expectations.

The updates reflect the evolving way electricity is used in homes and buildings, including the increasing number of devices, appliances and charging equipment used in everyday life

Top 15 electrical tasks Brits do around the house:

Which, if any, electrical tasks have you done yourself for your home?

All respondents:

Which, if any, electrical tasks would you hire a professional for at home?

All respondents:

Source: www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/what-we-do/our-policies/westminster/statistics-england