Safe handling of electricity: replace old electrical installations in good time
Electricity is an integral part of our everyday lives. But it also harbors dangers. Every year, electricity causes around 3000 fires in Switzerland and causes damage to buildings amounting to an average of 75 million Swiss francs. The Fire Prevention Advisory Service (BFB) provides safety advice on dealing with old electrical installations and electricity.
Caution is advised, especially in older buildings: Outdated installations often no longer meet today's safety standards. Insulation can become brittle, cables can overheat or electricity can flow unnoticed outside the cables. This can not only cause fires, but also lead to metal parts suddenly becoming live - a life-threatening situation. An RCD is a sensible retrofit: it detects fault currents and immediately interrupts the power supply.
In older buildings, there are often too few sockets, so solutions with multiple socket strips or multiple plugs are used. The danger is that too many powerful devices are connected to a single socket. This can lead to an overload. The resulting heat build-up poses a significant fire hazard.
Independent repairs to electrical installations are life-threatening. Loose wires, outdated fuse systems or unprofessionally laid cables increase the risk of electric shocks and fires. The following therefore applies: Work on fuse boxes, sockets or electrical cables should only be carried out by specialists.
BFB safety tips at a glance
- Always have electrical work carried out by a specialist
- Have electrical installations adapted to current requirements
- Do not use temporary cable constructions
- Have defective electrical cables and sockets replaced immediately
- Never plug several multiple plugs or multiple socket strips into each other
The BFB provides more safety information at bfb-cipi.ch/electrical-installations.
