Figures Linking The Elderly And Higher Chances Of Electrical Hazards

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Now we all know household electrics can prove very dangerous to those that are not qualified, but recent figures show that if you're over 65 and living in Wales, you have a significantly hire chance of being on the receiving end of a electrical fire. In fact, the statistics show that those who are older than 65, and live alone in the country are 3 times more likely to be a victim of Electrical Fires compared to those who don't live alone. The challenge presented with such facts is to cut down on electrical hazards completely, and eliminate the chance of these occurring for good.

Check the stats!

It's been reported that  Last year, there were as many as 311 accidental electrical fires which occurred in the homes of older people in Wales. Now out of these 311, a whopping 76% were in the homes of those living completely alone. We spoke not long ago about how the vulnerable are at more risk from electrical hazards and following a recent survey conducted with those that are over 65 and living in Wales, 1 in 6 believed they would be less at risk if they were living with someone else.

Statistics collected by the government also see a strong correlation among those over 65 in Wales and electrical fires as in 2016 and 2017, almost 22% were directly affected due to living alone. A major cause for this is believed to be because they are not clued up on electrical safety and therefore have to rely on others to check their homes for them.

What can we do?

The problem here remains in the fact that, as reported by Electrical Safety First, many of the elderly only see a friend, neighbour or loved one once every 6 months or so. It's these same people whom they rely on to check their electrics too as it was also reported they do not know the warning signs of dangerous or damaged electrics either!

Here's what the Chief Executive of Electrical Safety First had to say on the matter:

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“We are urging Welsh communities to visit older people who may be living alone. Our findings revealing the disturbing number of electrical fires affecting this demographic but we can all do our part to address this issue. Checking in on your older neighbour, friend or relative won’t only help tackle loneliness but could save a life. You may discover something that prevents a serious incident from occurring and with your help, we can change things for the better".

This is why electrical hazards and safety play a massive part in anyone of our Electrical Courses. Safety comes first when it comes to electrical installation, as well as electrical maintenance in a domestic dwelling. So we urge you guys, if you know anyone who may not know a lot about electrics and you feel they could be vulnerable, please check up on them!