Safety switches need to be installed to cover all electrical circuits within your home, including powerpoints, extension cords and lighting. Their job is to protect anyone living in or visiting your home, as well as any labourers working on your property from electric shock.

Safety switches are not the same as circuit breakers. A circuit breaker is able to shut down unsafe levels of electricity to protect cabling, equipment and devices that are plugged into your home. Only a safety switch is specifically designed to protect people from electric shock.

Depending on your home setup you may be required to have more than one safety switch installed to get accurate coverage. You can call a licensed electrician to help install and replace your safety switches.

Understanding how they work is important so that you can choose the right safety switch solutions for your home and be better equipped to protect your family from electrical shock or fire.

What does a safety switch do?

A safety switch quickly switches off the electricity supply to a designated circuit or powerpoint when an electrical fault is detected. This measure is put in place to protect occupants from electric shock that would normally result in significant injury or death as well as protect your home from an electrical fire.

Having a safety switch installed correctly means that an unwanted flow of electricity from residual current can be stopped swiftly in its tracks before any harm can be inflicted.

All houses rewired and new homes built from 1991 onwards are required by law to have safety switches built in. Older homes possibly won’t have any protection. Even if you have a newer home, safety switches need to be checked regularly to ensure they are in good operating order

How does a safety switch work?

Safety switches work by monitoring the electrical current in both directions to flag any residual current. This will indicate that voltage is ‘leaking’, usually from a wiring or device that is faulty.

A residual current indicates that there is extra power that is not being used. It’s only a matter of time before a residual current leaves the wires in search of a way to become grounded. Unfortunately in many cases the jump from the circuit to ground is often achieved via a person’s body, which can cause mild electrical burns and shock through to severe electrocution and heart failure.

For your home use there are two types of safety switches to consider.

• Switchboard safety switch - installed by a qualified electrician these will be put in to cover every individual home electrical circuit. It’s the fastest and safest full home coverage as it covers extension cords you may be using as well as every power point and light fitting.

• Powerpoint safety switch - This will be installed in place of a regular powerpoint and will cover anything that is plugged into the wall point switch.

Having both options in your home is the best way to be fully protected.

You will need to have both your switchboard and power point safety switches installed by a qualified and licensed electrician. Make sure you request a certificate of compliance to cover you for both legal reasons and insurance as well as have that peace of mind that the installation has been completed safely.

While your home circuit breakers will protect devices and cabling against current overloads and short circuits only safety switches can protect the people inside from injuries and electric shock. Being prepared and safeguarding your home is the best thing you can do to look after your loved ones.