The most common mistakes when taking on electrical DIY tasks include cutting through power leads, drilling into wiring, and repairing electrical items when they are still switched on.

According to Electrical Safety First every year around 70 people die and over 350,000 are seriously injured by electrical accidents in the home. And a survey of registered electricians revealed that a third had seen electric shocks caused by botched DIY, with 15% reporting that it had caused an electrical fire.

Here are some tips to help keep you safe when you are doing electrical DIY work:

1. Locate cables in your wall. A common DIY error is accidentally drilling, nailing, or screwing things into cables hidden inside the walls.
2. Use an RCD (residual current device). An RCD can save your life by cutting off the power in the event of an electrical fault caused by a DIY blunder! Make sure you have one fitted in your fuse box and where necessary use a plug-in shock.
3. Shut off the power. If you are doing any work near electrical wiring/power supplies, where possible shut off the power in the fuse box and use battery powered tools. To be sure that power is off before beginning DIY, plug in appliance into sockets and try switching on the lights.
4. Check power tools and watch out for the lead. Before using any power tools, check both the lead and plug are in good condition. If you can see signs of damage (frayed wires) get the equipment repaired before using it. Watch out for the power lead at all times to save accidentally cutting through or tripping over it.
5. Get advice from a registered electrician where possible. The best way to avoid any electrical problems is to seek the advice of a professional

And finally, if you’re unsure, don’t DIY!

Here at Firechief, we want you to feel safe. Our mission is to work hard every day to protect lives and property from fire by providing a range of fire safety equipment that can be trusted to perform when the heat is on.

The Firechief range includes high-performance fire extinguishers, fire blankets, first aid kits and lithium-ion battery fire extinguishers.

For more information, call us on +44 (0)330 999 0019 or email sales@firechiefglobal.com.