Will your safety switch pass the TEST?
Protecting your family from electric shock
Electricity can cause dangerous situations in your home. Things that could lead to electrical accidents include:
a faulty appliance or power tool
damage to an electrical cable
lack of maintenance
unsafe practices.
A safety switch can help guard against an electrical tragedy in your home. Potentially fatal electrical shocks occur when current flows through a person to earth. Safety switches are designed to cut the supply of electricity in a fraction of a second when a harmful level of electricity is detected leaking to earth.
You can help protect your family and yourself by having a safety switch installed on your home electrical circuits, but you must also remember to test these devices. Regular testing helps to exercise the switch mechanism to ensure it operates effectively.
Example 1 - Clipsal Safety switch
When a safety switch operates
If your safety switch operates (turns off the power), there may be a fault present. This can often be caused by a faulty appliance. Reset the safety switch – if it operates again, the last appliance plugged in will be the most likely cause. Disconnect the appliance from the power point and reset the safety switch. If everything now functions properly, do not use the appliance until it has been checked by a licensed electrical contractor or the manufacturer’s authorised agent. If the safety switch continues to operate, disconnect all appliances and plug them in one at a time until you locate the faulty one. Avoid touching appliances while carrying out this process. If you continue to have problems, contact a licensed electrical contractor such as ELEXCEL.
Check for a safety switch
Safety switches have been compulsory for power point circuits in all new Queensland homes since July 1992. This means many Queensland homes already have a safety switch installed which protects most of the power point circuits. However, safety switches may be missing from homes built before that time. The switchboard is the best place to look for permanently installed safety switches. Safety switches can be easily identified— they are the ones with a ‘test’ or ‘T’ button.
Make sure it works – every three months
To make sure you are getting maximum protection from your safety switch, you should regularly test the switch according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A good rule of thumb is to test safety switches every three months. A great way to remember this is to do it whenever you receive an electricity bill. To do this you only need to press the ‘test’ or ‘T’ button. If the switch turns off the power, then it is working correctly. If it doesn’t turn the power off, have it replaced by a licensed electrical contractor as soon as possible.
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