With a recent survey in Nottingham showing that just fewer than 50% of families don’t have the right protection against electrical shocks, you have to wonder how widespread the problem is in the UK.

The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) recently carried out the survey around the Nottingham area and found that 48% of families surveyed do not have a residual current device (RCD) installed in their fuse boxes.

An RCD is designed to disconnect a circuit instantly whenever electrical currents become unbalanced. It’s a vital tool for ensuring that electricity doesn’t harm those in the home, and without it, potentially lethal shocks are possible to anyone living within the house.

The same survey also found that 67% of parents also use socket protectors, which are generally more of a danger than a help when protecting children from sockets.

The FatallyFlawed campaign is currently calling for stricter rulings on the socket covers, and says:

  • The socket covers are not condoned by national body, including the government, Ofsted and the ESC
  • Absolutely no socket covers currently available actually fit into UK plugs correctly, which could cause lasting damage

The campaign also states that it is physically impossible for a child to actually put their fingers inside a UK plug; in fact, they were designed specifically in the 1940s to make sure that children can’t get their fingers inside the hole.

Both of these factors – installing RCDs and not using socket protectors – ensure the safety of everyone in the home.

Phil Buckle, who is director general of the Electrical Safety Council, said:

“We have found that new parents have a worrying lack of knowledge about electrical safety issues.

"We aim to raise awareness of the hazards in the home and the simple steps that parents can take to both ensure the safety of their family and pass on this knowledge to their children as they grow up."

The council added: "The only way to be safe from a fatal electric shock and reduce the risk of fire is to ensure your installation is safe and that there is an RCD in the fusebox."

Written by Barry Atkins at www.tester.co.uk