Millions in UK risking lives with basic electrical blunders

• At least one person in the UK dies each week from an electrical accident and nearly 1,000 are injured every day
• Complacency is leading to basic blunders, including repairing appliances whilst still plugged in
• People don’t know the danger of electricity, citing plane crashes and lightning strikes as similar concerns, despite fatalities due to electricity being drastically higher
• Celebrity home improvement experts  Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan urge UK to  download ESC’s new smartphone safety app to ‘bridge the gap’ between the public’s perception of electrical danger and the reality

A new study finds that millions of people in the UK expose themselves and their families to potentially fatal accidents in the home through simple electrical blunders because of an alarming lack of knowledge about the real danger of electricity. Today, on the birthday of the National Grid, the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) is launching a free smartphone app to help people ensure their families and homes are safe. 

The research from ESC reveals a dangerous level of ignorance about the perils of electricity in UK households. In the past year, almost one million people have repaired an appliance while it is still plugged in; despite the fact this can result in a fatal or serious injury. Other electrical ‘confessions’ included knowingly using faulty plugs or sockets (12.2 million people), ignoring burning smells coming from an appliance or socket (1.5 million people) and trailing cables near hot surfaces or cookers (2 million people).