Safe guard your home against electrical hazards in monsoons

Saurabh Goel, President, Havells India explains some basic and simple practices that can assure the electrical safety of your house which in turn ensure your well-being, and those of near and dear ones.

Earlier this year, one of the largest dailies carried the headline about an average of 30 people dying every day due to electrocution in India. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics, at least 3,000 people die every year in electric power-related accidents in the country. This risk compounds manifold during the July-September monsoon season, which despite bringing relief and joy from the scorching heat, increases the risk of electrical accidents by as much as 30 percent as per some studies. Thus the electrical health of homes deserve attention and care especially during this season, which in turn depends on the quality of wires, switches and other electrical devices used.

Some basic and simple practices can assure the electrical safety of your house, which in turn ensure your well-being, and those of near and dear ones.

a. Inability to use wires of the right rating, right quality, right health – is the single biggest reason for electrical hazards in a house. If your building is a new house or undergoing repairs after a span of 10 years, wires of the right quality (conductance of wires depend of the purity of copper used n the wire), appropriate wire rating for the quality of electrical load must be used. Since almost all wiring nowadays is hidden, one is not aware of the abuse the wire and its sheathing is undergoing, the number of times it gets heated and cooled making the outer cover brittle, which could yield or snap at the slightest pull or tug causing the wires to pass leakage current to the surface of the walls if the surface is wet. This could lead to shocks, which in monsoons may be fatal. Hence choosing the right wire as well as deciding a right time to change the house electrical wiring are both crucial and can cause a major disaster.

b. One of the most overlooked devices in household is an RCCB or ELCB, which is a crucial device that breaks the circuit in fraction of second, the moment it senses a leakage current, thereby preventing electrical shocks. Despite being one device which prevents shocks and saves precious human lives nearly 90 percent of homes do not have one. Many state governments or DISCOMs on their part have taken the right steps to make RCCB or ELCB compulsory. Despite that, installing an RCCB is followed more as an exception than a rule. Monsoon is as good a time as any to check whether our house has this vital life-saving device or not. One should also check for a good electrical earthing pit, which is essential for functioning of a good electrical network of the house. Many good companies have started to give these devices (also called PRCD), pre-fitted in geysers and washing machines – two appliances which have an interplay of water and electrical current, which may lead to electrical shocks.

c. Switchgears are vital electrical safety devices that can protect us from current leakage, voltage surge, short-circuits and overload. Miniature circuit breaker (MCB) used in distribution box is the most fundamental protection that can be adopted to protect electric devices from electrical overload and short-circuit. In modern day homes, equipped up with various electrical and electronic equipment, right combination of switchgears is essential, which can isolate circuits, and protect electrical equipment (and valuable human lives). These circuit breakers come in different ratings for different types of load, and hence need to be used of the right quality, right company, for the right load.

d. Surge protection device (SPD) inhibit transient voltages and divert surges into underground thereby protecting expensive electronics and appliances. For instance, terrains with heavy rainfall, such as coastal belts of Kerala, are often susceptible to thunderstorms and lightning. This causes frequent voltage surges which in turn can damage expensive electric equipment in the house in a matter of second, if voltage surge protection is not part of the circuitry.

It is imperative that we put safety and security of our home and family first. And especially with heavy showers and deluge often disrupting our daily lives, wiring your home with advanced electrical equipment is a necessity. Today, much technological advancements have been made in the building circuit protection category, multiplying the chances of safety for residents exponentially.

Given the current landscape of rampant electrical accidents across many pockets of India, it is necessary to adopt an aware and responsible attitude. It is always wise to take pre-emptive measures and safeguard one’s life and property with best quality and right rating wiring and electrical protection devices.

Authored by:

Saurabh Goel,
President, Havells India