It is never a good idea to be doing the work of an electrician around your home, but some people will still do it, and you could be risking your life. There are small jobs around the home that we just don't want to call for a professional, such as changing lighting fixtures, changing light switches, or even changing a light globe. Even these small jobs could lead to your death or severe pain if you get a nasty electric shock. If you insist on doing some electrical work around your home, please follow this guide to not getting the shock of your life and maybe death.
Safety. To start off with you must super safety conscious. Working with electrical circuits is extremely dangerous business. You have been warned. You should always slow down and double check the measures you have taken. Less haste, more safety, in this case.
Shut off the power. Shutting off the power to the circuit or the device that you are working on is critical. You can choose to shut off the power to the lighting if you are working on light switch for example. Even better shut off the power to your whole house.
Testing. It is always better to test the circuit. There are a number of tools that can do this for you, and some do not even need contact with a wire. Put them close to the wire and they will indicated whether it is live or not.
Wooden Ladders. It is a good idea to be using wooden ladders or ones made of insulated fibre-glass. Standing on a metal or aluminium ladder while you are working on projects high up, is like building a big circuit that you are now part of.
Avoiding water. You should avoid any wet areas when you are working on anything electrical. Make sure you are in a dry area, and you are completely dry yourself.
Clothing. Rubber boots and rubber gloves will give you some about of protection. Remember when it comes to electricity, it is always trying to find the fastest way to the earth, and that could be you. Rubber boots and rubber gloves will go some way to protecting you.
Tools. The professional tools used by electrical services companies are normally a little more than the norm. They have special rubber grips and the like to protect the user against electric shock.
Warnings. If there is a warning on something, like your fuse box for example, there is a real reason for it. Make sure that you read all warnings and take them seriously. There is nothing worse than working on something and someone else comes along and turns the power back on – right in the middle of you job. When you are working on anything electrical you must let all those around know and if you are in a larger location you might want to be placing your own warning labels on switches and the like, when you are working.
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