Electricity is all around us, in our homes and backyards. Life would be far less exciting without electricity. But with it comes potential hazards and we want to ensure you know what to look out for and how to deal with a hazard.

You should always assume an electrical wire is live until you have checked it is switched off and unplugged. Live wires can cause an electric shock and severe injury, or even death, if not managed carefully.

When working around your home:

• Be careful never to let electrical appliances get near water.
• Never use electrical cords that have loose wires or worn, cracked or bent plugs.
• Don’t overload multi-boxes or put more than two plugs into a single plug point.
• Completely unroll your extension flexes to prevent them from overheating or melting.
• Turn off the light switch before you change the light bulb.
• If taking electricity outside through an extension cord, ensure you have a RCD (residual current device) plugged into the power point.

When working outside:

• Always assume all wires are electricity wires and that they are live.
• Temporarily disconnect supply before starting on your outdoor jobs near electricity lines. If you need power to carry out your work, arrange an alternative supply. Call MainPower for a free safety isolation.
• Monitor growth and keep trees trimmed that grow near wires. 
• Dial before you dig, there may be buried cables. For assistance in locating buried cables, please provide two days notice before you begin digging. A cost for this service applies.
• Look up and around you before you move your ladder or other long objects such as irrigation pipes, that could come in contact with overhead wires.
• If you get something tangled or caught up in an electric wire, do not clear it yourself. Call MainPower on 03 311 8300 for assistance.

Remember – in an electrical fire NEVER use water to put the fire out. Use a multipurpose fire extinguisher.

In order to keep your family and home safe, carry out an electricity safety audit in your home. Visit Keep My Home Safe to start the process and audit your home every six months.

Free Safety Isolation Service
MainPower offers a free safety isolation service. This provides isolation of lines or cables during work hours to allow you to work around your home safely.This free service is recommended if you want to work in an area that puts you at risk of touching live power lines. This could be when you are clearing spoutings, repairing links in a building roof or painting a barge board. Even with a safety isolation, it is your responsibility to test before assuming power is isolated and therefore safe to work. Call MainPower on 03 311 8300.