How to use electrical appliances safely?

According to the Department of Industrial Safety and Environment, Ministry of Industry and Trade, every year there are about 400 to 500 accidents caused by electricity nationwide, killing from 350 to 400 people, injuring hundreds of others, of which 70% of accidents caused by unsafe use of electricity originate from unsafe use of electrical equipment in the home, daily life… So what is the reason? According to actual use and investigation, currently the units responsible for supplying electricity (Electricity industry) are mainly concerned with safety from the power grid to the main circuit breaker or circuit breaker, while inside the consumer household, the electrical system is hooked up and used quite arbitrarily, without any specific instructions from professional agencies. In many rural and remote areas, electric poles are made from trees or take advantage of the terrain and geographical features to hook up electricity; cables and wires are also made from cheap, processed materials, which are very dangerous and can easily cause fires.

There are many reasons for accidents due to unsafe use of electricity that often occur, one of which is due to lack of knowledge and lack of advice when designing a house, the designer only pays attention to the grounding part, lightning protection with lightning rods but does not pay attention to the safe grounding system for electrical equipment used in the house. Therefore, when an electrical leak occurs, the possibility of the user being electrocuted is very high.

Another point worth noting is that normally, when manufacturing electrical equipment, the manufacturer warns and notes on the power cord, on the plug, making the sockets with 3 pins, in the cable there are 3 wires, in addition to 2 power wires there is also a 3rd wire in yellow and green, which is the ground wire to prevent electrical leakage. However, users of electrical equipment do not pay much attention, sometimes using pliers to cut the 3rd pin connected to the yellow and green wire to make it easier to plug into the 2-hole socket in the house. This causes the risk of electric shock when using electrical equipment.

Not only related to the installation of the electrical system, according to experts, the group of household electrical appliances that are likely to cause leakage and explosion are irons, electric stoves, electric ovens, electric kettles and rice cookers. The common operating principle of this group of devices is to use heating wires (resistors) to heat directly or indirectly, so the risk of electric leakage is very high if the manufacturer uses materials that do not ensure quality or assembles them incorrectly. For example, heating wires using poor quality materials, improper assembly will touch the wall of the bag, or the heating plate causing an electrical short circuit, the wire uses a poor quality plastic cover, does not follow the correct technique, does not meet standards, easily leading to overload, causing heat, melting, and short circuit.

In addition, due to the use of electrical equipment in a high temperature environment, the components are easily aged, rusted, and also lead to electrical short circuits. Electric stoves, electric hot pots, ovens, and microwaves are all made of metal, and if there is an electric leak, it will quickly affect the user. There are many types of super-fast water heaters on the market today, which boil water in just 3 minutes. Because this type of kettle has a large capacity of up to 2,000W, if the socket and wire are not of good quality, it will cause an electrical short circuit.

According to Mr. Luong Van Phan, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Standards and Quality Institute, to ensure the safety of electrical equipment and implement national technical regulations on safety for electrical and electronic equipment, according to the provisions of Circular No. 21/2009/TT-BKHCN of the Ministry of Science and Technology, from June 1, 2010, 6 types of electrical and electronic equipment (including: instantaneous electric water heaters, electric water heaters and hot water storage devices, hair dryers and other hairdressing tools, kettles, rice cookers, electric fans) must be certified for conformity, declared for conformity and affixed with the conformity mark (CR) before being put into circulation on the market. Mr. Phan also said that to prevent electrical incidents, it is necessary to follow the following steps: electrical wires in the house must have good quality insulation, the size (cross-section) of the electrical wire must be selected so that it is capable of carrying the current to the electrical appliances it supplies, and electrical wires with small cross-sections must not be used for electrical appliances with too much capacity to avoid causing fire. In addition, when designing a house, the homeowner should request a safe grounding system for electrical equipment, depending on the area and number of devices, there will be a separate design and installation method. In addition, the socket in the house should be 3-hole type, with a safe grounding connection to the 3rd hole. In addition, all electrical plugs and electrical wires in the house must be regularly checked. Repair loose connections, never leave electrical wires lying on carpets or floors. Do not nail them into the wall near underground electrical outlets. Carefully cover metal household electrical appliances with insulating material. Avoid overloading the electrical system, do not plug more plugs into the socket than it can safely handle…

Wishing your family safe and economical use of electrical appliances.