Journey to safety: avoid overloading power sockets.

Electricity is very important in our lives because it is the source that gives us light in darkness. Most especially nowadays that in our house there are many appliances that are powered by electricity. According to Cambridge dictionary electricity is a type of energy that can be produced in a variety of ways and is used to power devices that produce light, heat, and other forms of energy (2021).and indeed electricity is required to operate all appliances, entertainment, lighting, and, of course, all technology, especially in our home.having electricity in our home is really important but sometimes electricity may burnt down you house, building, kitchen, bedroom, or other more.

 Research shows that 6.8% of house fires are caused by Electrical malfunction, 50.2% are caused by cooking appliances, 9.3% cause by Heating, 7.7% caused by Unintentional, careless, and 4.5% are intentional (U.S. Fire Administration ,2019) and According to the National Fire Protection Association, electrical fires were involved in an average of 47,820 reported home structure fires from 2007–2011. Almost half (48 percent) of home structure electrical fires involve some type of electrical distribution equipment, such as wiring, outlets, switches, lamps, light bulbs, cords or plugs. Not only are electrical fires dangerous, but they are also preventable (7 Ways to Prevent Electrical Fires,2021). The study only implies that electrical appliances may be the reason that sometimes causes fires in our home. There are many things that may cause our house to catch on fire and one of those things is because of overloading sockets. an overloading socket is one that has too many items plugged into it that require electricity. According to labelbar.co.uk (2015) Overloading a socket can destroy complete homes and a lifetime’s possessions; causes financial hardship, incurred costs, disrupts lives completely. This only means that overloading sockets is really harmful in our lives especially if we don't mind it. 

To avoid overloading sockets we need to know how much power is required to run certain items that you want to plug in. There are a number of calculators that can help you determine how many watts or amps that an item needs.

One of the first things you can do to avoid a socket overload is to only plug in one plug at a time. Make sure you have adequate watts and amps in the socket when you need to plug in more goods.

Next, only use extension cords as designed and never plug them into extension cords. Homeowners frequently try to make the most of their sockets by connecting in multiple power strips and extension cords. This just adds to the danger and puts your home at risk of fire.

Finally, if you see any discoloration or black stains surrounding your socket or plug, do not use it and immediately contact an electrician. This is frequently one of the first indicators of an overload. The blackening of the socket may potentially signal a wiring problem.

Furthermore, overloading electrical outlets is exceedingly risky and can result in flames, making it extremely detrimental to one's health, if not lethal. Overloading a socket can destroy entire homes and a lifetime's worth of belongings; it causes financial difficulty, incurs bills, and drastically disrupts lives. Prevention is really important, especially when it comes to safety. Help us journey and Let us all make a change for our own benefits and the safety of others.

References:

7 Ways to Prevent Electrical Fires. (2021). Rainbow International. Retrieved from https://rainbowintl.com/blog/7-ways-to-prevent-electrical-fires

Cambridge Dictionary. (2021, November 17). electricity meaning: 1. a form of energy that can be produced in several ways and that provides power to devices that. . .. Learn more. Retrieve from  https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/electricity

U.S. Fire Administration. (2019). U.S. fire statistics. Retrieved from https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/

Best, W. (2015, February 4). What are the risks of overloading sockets? Label Bar. https://www.labelbar.co.uk/blog/risks-overloading-sockets/