Safety Switches

Does your home have adequate safety switches installed?

Quite often safety switches are confused with circuit breakers or fuses. All of these things are found in your electrical box but, all of them have completely different roles. Safety switches provide protection against electrical shock.

How can our electricians help today?

How does a safety switch work?

Safety switches are the one thing between you and electrical shock. They work by shutting off the power when a leak in the current is detected. A leak in the current is determined by when the electrical current goes to earth.

By cutting the power it stops any electrical current from flowing through your person and causing unimaginable damage.

Safety switches and circuit breakers

The difference between safety switches and circuit breakers is quite simple.

A safety switch will cut the power when it detects a leak in the current.
A circuit breaker will cut the power when it detects a high current or overload.

In short, a circuit breaker is installed to protect circuit wiring and appliances whilst safety switches are installed to protect people.

Additional safety switches

Your home normally will have multiple circuits in order to provide power efficiently. It is recommended to have a safety switch for each circuit on your board. Having multiple switches maximises the level of protection against electrical shocks in the home.

Government initiative

The Queensland Government have an entire section on their WorkSafe website covering how additional safety switches are important to every household. Below are short films released by the government explaining the initiative as well as informational videos about safety switches.

Safety switches and circuit breakers

Testing your safety switch

Nuisance tripping of your safety switch

Your local electrical specialists

If you are not sure whether you need new or additional safety switches, give us a call on 07 3353 3248. Alternatively, if are looking for an electrician to help you with your safety switch installation you can fill in our online booking form.

ELECTRICIAN FAQ

Are all light fixtures dimmable?

The vast majority of light fixtures are able to work with standard dimmer switches but not all have this functionality. Dimmed light bulbs are a great energy-conserving idea for homes as they can cut down the amount of electricity a bulb is using. However, whilst dimmer switches reduce...

Learn More

Are there different light bulb types?

It's a situation that you've had many times before - you need to replace a light bulb and you head to your local hardware store or supermarket for a replacement. You find the correct area of the shop however, and are met with a huge variety of light bulbs to choose from... different sizes, s...

Learn More

Are you aware of the new smoke alarm legislation in QLD?

Find out what the smoke alarm updates mean for you & your household As of the 1st of January, 2017, new legislation for smoke alarms has come into play, with a 10-year phased rollout planned for all dwellings across Queensland. Per the state Government, the new legislation specifies that...

Learn More

For more in depth electrician information visit our Electrician Information page