On the left of the image there are five diagonal, vertical slices of images on a blue background From left to right they are: white wires connected to an internet hub; a close-up of a lightbulb; a man screwing in the front panel of an electrical outlet; a table of tools; a close-up of wires with the metal ends exposed. On the right of the image is a large orange box on a blue background with the words "Top 10 Things Electricians Wish You Wouldn't Do" in large, white text.

A recent survey of electricians revealed the ten most common and dangerous electrical mistakes made in British homes. Hundreds of UK electricians were questioned about which electrical errors they encountered most often and were then asked to rank these mistakes in the order of severity. The investigation comes in the wake of findings that 49% of Brits have interfered with their home’s electrics. We have summarised the results of the report, initially published in ECN magazine, below.[1]

Top 10 Things Electricians Wish You Wouldn’t Do

A collection of wires with the metal ends exposed on a blue background.

1.) Leaving Plastic Sheathed Cables Unprotected

This is the most dangerous and most common electrical error witnessed by UK electricians. 40% of Northern Irish electricians report seeing this mistake regularly. Electrical expert John McCallister explains why this blunder is so dangerous:

“Leaving plastic-sheathed cables unprotected exposes them to snagging and cuts, which could lead to fires or lethal shocks. Running them through a conduit minimises this risk.”[2]

2.) Leaving Switches or Outlets Loosely Connected

3.) Cutting Wires Too Short

4.) Recessing Boxes Behind the Wall Surface

5.) Installing Cable Without a Clamp

A photo of the article titled 'UK Electricians Reveal The 10 Most Dangerous Electrical Mistakes They See In Homes' in ECN magazine.
Image of ElectricalDirect's article, ‘UK Electricians Reveal the 10 Most Dangerous Electrical Mistakes They See in Homes’, published in the August 2022 edition of ECN, (Volume 42, Issue 8), page 6.

6.) Connecting Wires Outside of Electrical Boxes

7.) Overfilling Electrical Boxes

8.) Reversing Hot and Neutral Wires

9.) Wiring a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Backwards

10.) Installing Electrical Outlets Close to Water

A man screwing the front panel of an electrical outlet onto the body of the outlet. Red, green, and white wires can be seen within the outlet. The white, plastic outlet is mounted on a wooden wall.

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[1] All information is taken from the following source:

  • ElectricalDirect, ‘UK Electricians Reveal the 10 Most Dangerous Electrical Mistakes They See in Homes’, ECN, 42.8 (August 2022), 6.  

[2] ElectricalDirect, ‘UK Electricians Reveal the 10 Most Dangerous Electrical Mistakes They See in Homes’.