Electrical checks for the elderly this winter

The UK’s leading registration body for electricians is urging people to think electrics when they carry out their checks on the elderly this winter.

Research commissioned by the NICEC found that 24 million of us have elderly relatives living on their own.

Despite half (50%) of us believing the elderly are more at risk of electrical fires, 75% of us haven’t had their homes checked by an electrician. Although we are a caring nation with the best intentions, 80% of us have never been concerned by the safety of our elderly friends or relatives electrics.

The top five things to look out for are listed below;

Ensuring that plug sockets are not damaged or scorched. Any scorch marks around a socket are indication that something is not right with the wiring behind the walls and that you should call a registered electrician to investigate further.
Checking that any leads or cables are not damaged or frayed.
Checking to see if thier stairlifts are workng.
Checking that lights are working correctly and there is no signs of visible damage or buzzing sounds.
Checking that sockets are not overloaded or that too many extension leads are in use.
Check that the main fuse box (consumer unit) has RCD protection fitted. An RCD (Residual Current Device) will trip should it detect an overload in the circuit.

These easy to follow tips are demoed in this video by Darren Staniforth the NICEIC’s Technical Development Manager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFzDvvUx9tY

To find out more about what to look out for around the home visit: www.niceic.com/elderly or www.elecsa.co.uk/elderly

There you will find handy advice sheets, an informative video along with information about how to find your local NICEIC or ELECSA registered electrician.