Kids always need extra care and guidance. It’s because they are curious, touching anything that catches their attention. On that, they become the most vulnerable to all the dangers in your home, specifically with electricity.

In the report of Australian IHW National Injury Surveillance Unit, electrical hazards at home injured around 1,500 people. There are 209 children on that number where 65 per cent received injuries in hands and wrists. Taking extra precautionary measures can make your kids exempted from such mishaps.

However, it’s challenging to keep an eye to your kids all the time. At any moment, a small touch in live wires or outlets can inflict serious injuries. That said, here are the top 10 electrical safety tips for your kids:

Teach Your Kids on Electrical Danger

At an early age, educating your kids about the risks of electricity is the best thing you can do. Try to demonstrate simple safety tips to avoid electrical hazards such as never to touch plugged-in appliances and wires without adult’s guidance. Most importantly, teach them the right behaviour when they are around electricity.

There are already online games and videos that can teach kids about electrical risks and how to prevent it. As many kids are into gadgets nowadays, teaching your children on electrical danger becomes easier with just a single click in browsing the internet.

Cover Your Electrical Outlets

Kid’s tiny fingers love to poke small holes, including your electrical outlets. It’s also quite common that they might insert any stuff they hold into outlets. On that, always use plug caps to cover any outlets within reach of children.

Keep Water Away From Electrical Items

It’s no brainer that water is a good conductor of electricity. See to it that every time your kids bring a cup of water, they are far from any wires and plugged-in appliances. Also, makes sure that your bathroom is clear from any electrical devices like a shaver, hairdryer and even phones.

Observe Electrical Warning Signs

It’s essential that you and your kids observe electrical warning signs in your home. Teach your kids that discoloured outlets are dangerous to use or burnt wire smell indicates faulty wirings. As an adult, it’s also your duty to maintain your appliances in good condition to avoid electrical hazards in the house.

Have An Electrical Inspection

Hire an electrician to make your home safe from any electrical hazards. Electricians can check and fix any discoloured outlets and any faulty wiring in your home. A regular inspection will ensure that your kids and anyone in the family are always safe from electric shocks and electrocution.

Keep Electronics Out Of Children’s Reach

Although it’s impossible to keep all electronics out of children’s reach, you can still try to do it in most of your appliances. It’s very dangerous when kids try to insert metals in your toaster or touching charging phones. Always see to it that kids can’t touch most of your appliances for safety purposes.

Hide Cords Safely

While kids love to run and play throughout your home, they can trip from any cords lying around. Aside from that, they might try pulling it, so make sure to hide it by tying or putting barriers into it. You can also rearrange your furniture to hide cords from the kids.

Supervise Kids When Using Electricity

Remind children to ask for an adult’s supervision when using electricity. When they want to watch the television or use other appliances, tell them never to touch it without your guidance. Older children can plug devices, but teach them only to pull the plugs and not the cord to avoid electrical mishaps.

Always Plug Off Unused Electronics

Plugging off any unused electrical items in your home is an assurance that it won’t inflict injuries to your kids. Aside from saving energy, this will make sure that it won’t harm your kids when trying to touch electronics. Plugging off any items will give you the confidence that your kids are safe even if you’re not around.

Use RCD in Main Panel and Powerpoint

Electrical mishaps can happen when you least expect it. Using a residual current device in the main panel can protect your entire home from short circuits and circuit overloads anytime. You can also use portable RCD in outlets to protect anyone in your home, especially your kids, when touching plugged-in appliances and gadgets.

Conclusion

Your family and kids are the most precious gifts that need protection at all cost. With the presence of electricity in homes, kids are the most vulnerable from its danger. Thus, it’s essential to put extra efforts into protecting your kids from any mishaps of electrical hazards.

In attaining electrically safe homes for kids, Gordon Powers is at your service. We have licensed level 2 electricians that can inspect your wiring to see if it’s prone to electrical fires and electric shock. We also offer smoke alarm installation to provide an early warning of a potentially deadly fire.

Call us at (02) 9199 7480 today, and we’ll help you keep up an electrically safe home for your kids and family.