Electricity is everywhere, and here’s how it works:
- Electricity is energy. We eat food to keep us going. Machines & appliances eat electricity to keep them going.
- In our homes electricity feeds the lights, appliances like toasters, the television, radios, computers, electronic games, heaters/fans, hot water systems, power points and more. These days we use electricity for just about everything inside our homes.
- If electricity is used unsafely it can create a fire hazard or cause someone to be electrocuted.
- Electric shock or electrocution is when electricity (electric current) passes through our body.
- Electric shock can be very painful & scary.
- Electric shock can burn our skin, muscles & other parts of our bodies & severe electric shock can kill.
- To stay safe & understand why electricity is dangerous it helps to know how it works.
- A conductor is a material that electricity can flow through easily. Water is a great conductor. Our bodies are mostly water which means our bodies are great conductors & electricity can pass through our bodies very easily.
- Electricity is always trying to get to the ground. Electricity takes short cuts whenever it can. If something that conducts electricity (our bodies), gives electricity an easy path to the ground it will take it!
- Electricity can come from the sun by using solar panels or it can come from the wind blowing & turning blades on massive wind turbines or even by nuclear power plants. Most electricity we use comes from a power plant where coal is burnt to produce steam which turns turbines. Electricity flows from power plants & reaches our home though power lines. These are the wires you can see strung from poles or towers. Sometimes they run underground. The power lines (transmission wires) are excellent electrical conductors. The power lines usually connect from the poles in the street to the roof of your house.
- From this roof connection the electricity flows to a meter box & then through electrical wires throughout your house (in the walls, under the floors & in the roof space). These wires then run to power points (outlets) or to the lights & ovens etc around your house.
- Electricity is safe as long as we are alert to its dangers and follow safety tips. Check out our Electrical Safety for Kids tips below.
Electrical Safety – For Kids
Indoors: Electricity is everywhere inside our homes. We us it for so many things so it is important to be aware of the dangers & follow tips to stay safe.
- ALWAYS ask an adult for help when you need to use anything that uses electricity.
- ALWAYS keep electrical stuff far away from water. For example DON’T use hair dryers, radios, or any other electrical stuff in or near the sink, tub or shower.
- DON’T use an electrical appliance (e.g. a hairdryer) when you’re wet, have wet hands or are standing in water.
- DON’T plug anything into an outlet if there’s water on the floor or counter near it.
- DO unplug hair dryers, hair straighteners and curling irons when you’re done with them especially if using them in the bathroom.
- DON’T yank an electrical cord from the wall. Always pull by grabbing the plug end.
- KEEP all electrical cords out of the way, neatly and tidily. If not they can trip people or pets can chew them.
- DON’T plug too many cords into an outlet or extension cord or they can overheat & start a fire. Ask adults to use proper power boards too.
- DON’T use any cords that look cracked, frayed, split or worn out or have loose plugs on the end.
- NEVER use cords that heat up when they are plugged in even if they look okay.
- ALWAYS tell an adult if you see any dangerous cords, plugs or outlets & NEVER touch them.
- ASK an adult to cover unused outlets with safety caps especially if there are little kids in the house.
- NEVER stick your fingers or anything else into electrical outlets, or into the end of an extension cord or into electrical stuff… “NEVER stick a knife into the toaster”!!!
- DON’T touch or use an outlet if the cover is loose, missing or broken.
- NEVER leave lamp sockets empty, replace burned out bulbs immediately.
- It is impossible to tell if an electric wire is off or on by looking at it. If you are near an electric wire or appliance, treat it as being “live” or “dangerous” to be on the safe side.
Outdoors: Electricity is all around so when you are playing outside with your friends, be alert, look around and stay safe.
- DON’T play near power lines or electrical equipment like the green/metal boxes you can see sometimes in lawns or fields.
- DON’T climb the fence or poles around an electrical substation. Always ask an adult to call the electrical company to fetch your pet or ball if it goes inside the area.
- ALWAYS look out for power lines or substations before you climb a tree. Electricity can go right through a tree branch and into you. Sometimes the tree branches hide the power lines so it’s hard to see them!!!
- NEVER ever fly your kite near power lines or substations. Kite flying is great fun, but be very careful…. Always look out for power lines overhead and in the surrounding area because you never know where your kite might land. The kite and string may carry electricity into you.
- NEVER fly toys in the rain or in a storm. Wet strings conduct electricity very well & can be struck by lightning too.
- ALWAYS let go of the string immediately if your kite does become caught on a power line & NEVER try to get the kite back. Always ask an adult for help.
- Make your kite out of insulating materials that don’t conduct electricity very well, like wood, paper, plastic, string. Be sure your kite doesn’t contain wire, metal or foil.
- DON’T release metallic helium balloons outside as they conduct electricity very well.
- Never get on the roof to play or get your toy if it lands there because power lines usually attach to a house near the roof. If you touch the power line it can kill you.
- NEVER touch power lines that come down in a storm or anything else near them. Stay well away from the area as it is extremely dangerous. Ask an adult to call the electrical company.
- REMIND others, even adults to look out for power lines when they are climbing up a ladder or using outdoor equipment like chainsaws, tree trimming tools or even window cleaning or roof cleaning tools.
- REMIND adults to call an electrical company like Everest Electrical before they dig holes to build a fence or deck as some power lines are buried underground.