Electrical Safety Switch Installation
A heart beat. That’s all the time it takes for electricity to kill. Householders who have a safety switch installed can greatly reduce the chances of electrocution occurring in or around the home. Safety switches save lives.
An electric shock happens when an electric current flows through the body. The effects vary. At low levels, a tingling sensation or muscular pain will be felt. With higher voltages, breathing difficulties, burns and ultimately heart failure can occur.
In most cases of electric shock, the current flows through the body to earth rather than through the normal ‘live’ parts of appliances and their wiring.
A safety switch (also known as a residual current device or RCD) is an electrical device that can detect electrical currents flowing through the body. They swing into action within 30 milliseconds - less than a human heart beat.
Safety switches protect against fires
Faults can occur in appliances, tools and wiring. They may be the result of wear and tear, dampness, poor design or shoddy installation. Undetected, these faults could eventually cause a fire, property damage or personal injury. Because of their sensitivity, safety switches provide a means of early fault detection.
Electric kettles
Electric kettles should be used with a safety switch to lessen the risk of scalding or other injury. The kettle could explode if water finds its way into the kettle element.
Take care with electricity
Safety switches will provide a reliable means of preventing electrocution from most electrical accidents that occur in and around the home. However:
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A shock will still be felt for the short time the current flows through the body until the safety switch operates. Electric shocks are usually painful.
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It is unlikely that all equipment and wiring in the home will be protected with a safety switch. Never assume that electrical items are protected and safe to touch.
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A safety switch does not protect against all faults eg. short-circuit faults between active and neutral wires. However, electrocutions from such faults are rare.
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Safety switches perform a different function to fuses or circuit breakers, which are required to protect against high current, short-circuit or overload faults. While separate devices will normally be needed, a combination safety switch and circuit breaker unit is available.
High risk areas for electrical accidents include swimming pools, bathrooms, workshops and caravans.
Installation requirements
To help reduce accidents, the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004 requires installation work to be done in accordance with the Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules. Those rules now require installation of safety switches to protect:
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lighting and power point circuits in all new homes
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new power point and lighting circuits in existing homes
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power points supplying caravans or similar types of accommodation in new caravan parks.
IMPORTANT – The severity of an electric shock is determined mainly by the amount of current flowing through the body and the time that the current flows before it’s disconnected.
Safety Switch Cost Price Installation
The cost of installing a Safety Switch will depend on existing electrical switch-board. For a cost effective price installation Contact United Electrical Services P/L.