May is Electrical Safety Month –

Week 1 - Electrical Safety in the Office/Home

Abridged version originally by Simon Rollason – Onshore Support Electrical Engineer,
Greater Plutonio, BP Angola. August 2012
 Good Practice

Well labelled
Distribution
Board…

RCD for AC
units separate
from those for
lights and
sockets.

Main isolator.
 Protection Devices

Plug fuse
Circuit Breaker
– one phase

Circuit Breaker – three phase

Residual Current Detector (RCD)

{=Ground Fault Interrupter – US}
Temporary RCD
 Fluorescent Tubes

Bare fluorescent tubes not good may

break when they fail – glass everywhere.

Running almost failed tubes can lead to fires.

Replace these tubes before they catch fire.

Bare bulbs are never acceptable – broken glass

 Two or Three Contacts?

Two contact plug – less than

7 Amps
10 Amps, less than 2 kW (a
– small coffee
battery charger, etc.)
maker

Three contact plug – up

to 16 Amps, about 3 ½
kW – a kettle?)
This is the earth 10 Amps
connection – iron
Two or Three Contacts?

Three contact
plugs into three
contact sockets -
ONLY
OK OK

NO!
OK
Bad Sockets

Falling off wall

Wires exposed

No face plate
 Bad Plugs

No plug Taped plug

2 pin into 3 pin

No earth
Three pin plug should
be used for a kettle
Prong fell out – screws not tight.
Earth wire needed,
not connected
Bad Adaptors

Burnt prongs Silver paper - not a fuse

Cracked cover

Melted fuse holder

Overloaded Adaptor
Cable Issues

Trip hazard Not secured

Taped joint & no earth

Cable cut,
maybe live

Damaged sheath
Extension Reels

Always use un-reeled

Never connect one to another

if reeled up
 Obvious Problems

Twisted wire joints

British socket,
European plug?

Bare light bulb

hanging on its wires?
Housekeeping

Cable coiled
Birds nest in too tightly
light fitting
Waste storage

Trip Hazard
Untidy Exposed wires
installation
Poor Installation Practice

One Cable Per Entry

Protect cable when

passing through steel
 Temporary Repairs

Use of tape

No
insulation
Repairs Needed

This should be there

Miscellaneous

Very poor cable installation

Trip hazard
Home made heater?
Electrical Observation Recommendations

• If it looks right – it probably is right

• If it looks wrong – it probably is wrong

• If it looks wrong – report it and get it fixed