Kitchens are one of the main areas for accidents and electrical hazards in the home. With an abundance of small and large appliances plus water, electrical safety in the kitchen is highly important. Here are our key safety advice to keeping you safe around electricity in your kitchen.
1. Keep Your Kitchen Dry and Clean
Cooking food and cleaning dishes can result in food waste, crumbs and moisture on work surfaces or near plug sockets. If water or food waste enters a power spcket, it can cause electrical shock and damage to appliances A good precaution, it is a good idea to insert a cover into any unused ktchen electrcial socket. This will protect them from splashes of water, spills, and food waste.
2. Do Not Overload Your Sockets
Only one appliance should be plugged into 1 socket. Refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, and ovens all require a large amount of power to run them. This requirement tends to place a lot of stress on circuits. Plugging another appliance into an occupied kitchen socket can lead to tripping the circuit breaker and may even cause permanent damage to your appliances.
3. Ensure Cables are not too Close to Heat
Space can quickly disappear in the kitchen while preparing a meal or cleaning dishes. You may end up using a blender or mixer close to your hob which can expose their power cords to extreme heat. If power cords are damaged by heat or start to melt, this can result in an electrical fire or electrocution when plugging the appliance in. All power cables must be kept away from extreme heat to ensure that the protective layer on them stays in optimal condition. It is also a good idea to ensure that there is enough room behind your freezer or refrigerator for proper air circulation. If there is not enough room, it can become exceedingly hot behind these units and cause damage to the power cords.
If you are lacking space to use all of your kitchen appliances safely please get in touch and we can quote for a kitchen safety update.