Bathroom safety

Water carries electricity efficiently. When the two mix, the result can kill. Because of this, from an electrical safety point of view, the bathroom is possibly the most dangerous room in the home. The consequences of an electric shock are far more severe in a bathroom or shower room as wet skin reduces the body's resistance. There are special requirements for electrical installations in bathrooms.
Sockets

Sockets are not allowed in bathrooms or shower rooms (apart from shaver-supply units), unless they can be fitted at least three metres from the bath or shower.

Shaver-supply units must be a safe distance from the bath or shower to avoid splashes.
Lights

Enclosed ceiling lights are preferable to pendant light fittings (ones that hang down). All light fittings that are not enclosed should be out of reach of someone  using, or still wet from using, the bath or shower.

A ceiling-mounted pull-cord switch with the cord made of insulating material is the safest option for a bathroom. Standard wall mounted light switches are a possible danger because of dampness and wet hands.

Heaters and towel rails
Central heating is a good way of keeping a bathroom warm. But, if you do have an electric room heater, it must be fixed at a safe distance from the bath or shower.
Electric and gas water heaters in a bathroom must be fixed and permanently wired, unless they are powered by a socket fitted three metres from a bath or shower.
Electric heaters should preferably be controlled by a pull cord or a switch outside the bathroom.

Showers
An electric shower must be supplied on its own circuit direct from the consumer unit.

Don't

1. Don't bring mains-powered portable appliances such as hairdryers, heaters or radios into a bathroom. You could be severely injured or killed. You can get a fixed hairdryer with hot air delivered through a flexible plastic pipe installed in bathrooms.

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3D Holograms

as a sci fi freak, I love the idea of 3D Holograms

well guess, what you can now get a projector array from PC world...

Sorry, only kidding

it is actually currently under development at the University of Arizona. Inspired by Star Wars, the team struggled to create a material capable of storing moving holographic information, but eventually had a breakthrough. It isn’t quite up to scratch yet (the picture only changes every two minutes), but they’re refining the technique.

cant wait!

Checking a Plug (UK only)

1. Remove the plug from the socket and check the plug is not damaged.
2. Look for signs of overheating, such as discoloured casing or cable.
3. Check that the plug is marked British Standard BS 1363
4. Check that the cable sheath is firmly clamped in the plug and that no coloured wires are showing.

All modern appliances in the UK use the familiar square-pin 13-amp plug. These plugs are used for handheld appliances such as hairdryers and vacuum cleaners, and appliances like microwave ovens. The plug and cable can suffer damage, particularly if they connect to handheld appliances. Checking a plug and its cable does not need a lot of detailed electrical knowledge and these tips should help.

With the plug removed from the socket, check the cable from end to end and ask the following questions. 

1. Is the cable cut, worn or damaged in any way?
2. There should preferably be no joints in the cable, and certainly no repairs with insulating tape.
3. If for any reason, you need to check that a cable is correctly wired and fused, do the following:
4. Remove the plug from the socket, and remove the cover. Check that:
5. The brown wire goes to live (L);
6. The blue wire goes to neutral (N); and
7. The green-and-yellowwire goes toearth (E).
8. Check that the cord clamp holds the cables heath securely and that both of the screws are tight.
9. Check that the screws holding the three wires are tight.
10. Check that the fuse is the correct size and meets British Standard BS 1362 - see the manufacturer's instructions if you are not sure what fuse to use. The fuse should clip securely into its holder. It should not be loose and there should be no signs of overheating.
11. Replace the cover securely

Correctly wired plug
Most table lamps, standard lamps, televisions, computers, mixers, blenders, power drills, jigsaws, soldering irons will use 700W or less. Larger appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and toasters, irons  and heaters will use more than 700W. For your convenience these are just standard two plug fuse ratings (3A and 13A). For appliances up to 700W, you use a 3A fuse. For those over 700W, you use a 13A fuse.

 

New Tech

Technology is advancing at a nauseating speed, and for proof you need look no further than your smartphone. You can communicate with people from around the world, listen to digitally-encoded music, play games, watch TV, shop for food and take photographs using something which slips comfortably inside your pocket. In the 1920s, it would have been unthinkable. This leads to numerous outlandish sci-fi predictions about what the future holds for us, and they’re notoriously unreliable and occasionally downright weird. Forgetting the hyper-intelligent chimp doomsday scenarios, we can actually expect some sci-fi style technologies pretty soon indeed.

were waiting with baited breath

Kitchen Safety

We all know that water and electricity make a lethal combination. So it's important that electrical equipment is installed correctly, and that you use appliances in your kitchen with care.

To avoid water coming into contact with electricity, make sure that your sockets or switches are fitted at a safe distance (at least 30 cm horizontally) from the sink.

If appliances such as fridges, dishwashers and washing machines are fitted under worktops, getting to sockets may be difficult. Ideally, these appliances should be controlled by a switched fuse connection unit mounted above the worktop where you can reach it easily.

If a socket in the kitchen, or anywhere else in the house is likely to be used to supply portable equipment outdoors, it should be protected by an RCD. Under the national safety standard, almost all sockets in new electrical installations and any new sockets added to an existing installation must have RCD protection.

Don't

1. Use any electrical equipment or switches with wet hands;
2. Wrap flexible cables around any equipment when it is still warm;
3. Clean an appliance such as a kettle while it is still plugged in;
4. Try to get toast that is stuck out of a toaster while it is plugged in, and especially not with a metal knife – there are often live parts inside; or
5. Fill a kettle or a steam iron while it is plugged in.

Take special care when using electrical appliances in the kitchen - the mixture of water, hot surfaces, flexible cables and electricity can be very dangerous. Check that flexible leads and appliances such as kettles and toasters are in good condition.

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