10 Ways to Protect Your Children from Electrical Hazards
The moment you bring your baby from the hospital to your home, you should start thinking about child-proofing your entire house.
Do not wait too long. Before you know it, your child will start crawling around, exploring the house, investigating every single thing they can put their little hands on. The sooner you hide hazardous household chemicals and keep potential dangers away from your child’s reach, the better. Keep in mind that accidental injury is one of the leading causes of death among babies and toddlers, claiming more lives than health problems.
When setting up your home into a safer place for your little one, don’t forget about electricity. Other than blocking the staircases and using play mats in every room, you should also secure outlets within the reach of your child. Electrician services companies in Singapore recommend taking these precautions to ensure not just your baby’s, but your entire family’s safety from electrical hazards.
1. Install GFCIs
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) are essential in rooms with water source, such as kitchen and bathrooms. Enquire with some electrician services in Singapore to hire a professional electrician install a few of these around your house to protect everyone, but most especially including your child, against electrical shock. These devices automatically shut off the power when they detect current leaking from the circuit to the ground.
2. Avoid Using Extension Cords
As much as possible, avoid using extension cords and power strips in your child’s room. Kids have the tendency to chew on things, and you don’t want them to chew on something electrical. Moreover, you don’t want your kids to play with cords and wires and knocking over appliances that are plugged into them.
3. Use Electrical Outlet Caps
The cheapest way to prevent your child from sticking objects and his fingers into outlets is to use a packet of electrical outlet caps. These outlet covers are made of plastic and can be plugged directly into your power outlets. The exposed area of the cap is completely flat, making it difficult for a child to grip on it. If your child cannot poke anything into outlets, the safer he is. It’s that simple.
4. Unplug All Appliances
Before going to bed, turn off and unplug all your appliances at home. Just in case your toddler wakes up in the middle of the night and decides to play, no live wires within his reach. However, do still keep outlets and wires out of their sight, just because they are never good toys for children.
5. Shorten Cords
It happens many times—a lamp (or any other appliance) sits a foot away from the outlet, but has 10-foot long cord attached to it. The excess cord can loop around your child’s foot and either cause him to stumble or pull the lamp down on them. Either way, there will be tears. The best you can do is to buy a cord shortener. It looks neater than a coiled cable and is much safer when you have kids at home.
6. Cover Power Strips
Power strips are common in residential properties here in Singapore. They are convenient and economical since they can power multiple appliances at once. The downside is that they sit on the ground, which for a baby, could look like something to play with. A power strip cover is the ideal solutions for this. The cover slides into the strip and has an opening for the cords to hang out.
7. Use Nightlights
Use a nightlight to provide illumination in the dark for your child’s safety. Perfect for your kid’s bedroom and bathroom, so they won’t stumble over on things when they wake up in the middle of the night to pee. These lights come in a variety of styles, such as outlet-mounted or table mounted. One practical style is an outlet-mounted nightlight that fits over the two outlets of a duplex receptacle, blocking the unused electrical holes from the prying fingers of your toddler.
8. Educate Them
Older kids and pre-teens are old enough to understand the dangers of playing with electrical wires and devices. Explain to your kids that outlets cannot be overloaded with extension cords and power strips. They should not be using the TV, laptop, video game console and phone charger all at once in a single outlet. Make sure to explain the same thing for their room. Check every night that everything in their room is plugged out.
9. Regular Electrical Maintenance
Take care of loose and frayed wires that are located in accessible areas of your home. At least once a year, have a licensed electrician check your home’s electrical works. Ask your professional contractor to get those loose wires fixed and loose cords fasten to walls to avoid electrical shock and accidents.
10. Replace or Repair Faulty Appliances
If you have appliances that are hot or feel tingly to the touch, have it checked by a professional electrician right away. You really wouldn’t want your kids to get their hands on these appliances and possibly cause an injury to them. A good electrician will be able to detect the problem and fix it immediately before anything severe happens.
If you have kids at home, regular maintenance and repair of your home’s electrical system will not only keep your entire family safe, but also enjoy the benefits of properly-working electricity. With the help of a reputable electrician services company, you can protect your family and property from the risk of serious injury, damage and fire.