Electricity, electrical equipment and electric appliances are an integral part of our everyday lives. Unfortunately they are also responsible for a number of preventable hospitalisations and deaths each year. The way to prevent these tragedies is to install safety switches on all electrical circuits.

Safety switches (also known as RCD’s) are the current standard for circuit protection and have replaced the old fuse or circuit breaker type options. A safety switch or RCD is a device that is designed to cut power to an electrical circuit in a fraction of a second. A safety switch is designed to protect people from electrocution whereas the older style fuses and circuit breakers protect the electrical equipment.
Many Australian homes and businesses do not have safety switches installed on their circuits or only have them installed on some circuits. It is now recommended that safety switches be installed on all circuits to provide complete protection.

A safety switch is generally installed in the switchboard and is recognisable by the ‘test’ or ‘T’ button. The ‘test’ button is what helps to distinguish it from a circuit breaker.

Once safety switches are installed, it is important to implement a regular maintenance routine to test the operation of the safety switches. It is recommended that safety switches are tested every 3 months to ensure maximum protection.
To test a safety switch is working you only need to press the ‘test’ or ‘T’ button. If working correctly the power should turn off. If the power does not turn off, the safety switch is not operating correctly and needs to be replaced by a licensed electrical contractor.