A Purim Primer: Insider Secrets and Horror Stories

With the upcoming Yomtov of Purim, I collected valuable advice and some novel ideas for your future building project. Most of the following anecdotes - if not all of them are real life stories, so you have been forewarned.

First things first: if you want to know the difference between a weeping radiator valve and a dripping tap: the first will eventually create a hole in your wall, whilst the latter will bore a hole in your wallet. Whilst we're on the subject of preventative maintenance, it's worthwhile mentioning another common misunderstanding: to prevent dry rot in your bathroom - especially if the bath has been fitted on a wooden frame - never use plain silicone to seal your bath; rather use flexible sealants (example: Evo-Stik Serious Stuff All Purpose Sealant - NOT adhesive...) which addresses the problem of "weight movement". Weight movement is caused by the combined weight of a person's body and the water in the bath tub, which causes the rigid silicone to break, thereby allowing water to seep through the cracks. The best way around it is to ensure that the bath fitter stands inside the bath tub or the bath is full of water when he applies the sealant and beading to the gap between the wall tiles and the bath tub. That's perhaps the reason why some builders - especially those hailing from some parts of the Eastern Block - call it Sillygone...
Doting on a tiler is like walking across a still-wet floor - very uncomfortable for the employer and employee. However this doesn't mean that you should allow him to lay tiles without stretching a string across the floor or wall - to keep the tiles in a straight line.
So, you know not to breathe down the tile's neck - nevertheless you should still insist that when he is finished sticking down tiles around the drain cover, he can demonstrate that he can still lift it. Failing this, you could face the prospect of having to drill through the adhesive seal, which by now is rock hard - when the blocked drains make your life unbearable.

As we've mentioned our faithful builders from across the channel, here's a piece of advice that may well lead to major financial losses if left unattended. Warn the foreman to look out for potential hazards like drilling holes into pipes, severing electrical wires or ruining the wallpaper at the neighbours...

For those of you renting out property to tenants, remember that when they call you up in middle of the night that there's no heating, don't get caught up in their panic, just tell them to top up their gas meter...

Never allow a washing machine hose to be fitted between the gas pipe and the oven, the consequences may not be funny at all - even though this is what some cowboy builders have been doing to cut corners. Similarly, when putting up partitions check to make sure the correct insulation boards are used as failing to do so may expose the occupiers to be exposed to extremely hazardous situations. Like when one contractor used an old feather quilt - highly flammable - to 'fill' the gap between the plasterboards instead of the fire-proofed sound-prevention filling blocks...
The same applies to preparing a concrete floor: never settle for bin liners when heavy-duty sheets are required to insulate against water seepages.
Once the building works are finished, be on your guard; some builders will try to dispose of excess cement by pouring it into drain gully. Next time it rains, you - and your neighbours - will waddle in a pool of rainwater, whilst the 'professional' brickie has made it off with your cheque and is relaxing in the shade.

When painting a floor, advise the master painter to start from the far corner of the room and work his way back towards the entrance of the room - unless you have a spare room for an overnight stay - rule of thumb: don't let him paint himself into a corner...

Now some D.I.Y tips: When fixing wooden cabinets, use broken matches as wood filler, the screwdriver will work the screw through the new filler and it will stay there for a long time to come. You could use screws that are either too small: they don't keep the door in place for too long or you could use too long ones that will stick out and you may cause health and safety issues as people get scratched...

Wishing you a happy Purim and a safe Pesach cleaning.

Subletting a Leasehold: Don't let property safety become an issue

The idea of a lessee or tenant sub-letting their leasehold property has become very popular in the UK. So long as the lease agreement permits it, all or part of a property may be sublet to another tenant and rent collected from that sub-tenant as if the original tenant were the landlord. Of course, the original tenant's lease agreement with their own landlord would remain in place, and they will still have to continue to abide by it -- and that includes paying the rent to their lessor on time. But even so, by choosing to sublet a property the original tenant can dramatically cut the costs associated with that property, as most of the rent will be supplied by the sub-tenant.

Preparing the ground

The first thing you need to do is to establish what you are and are not responsible for in the tenancy agreement that you set up with your sub-tenant, and also with the lessor. In most circumstances the sub-tenant will expect the sublettor to take responsibility for such concerns as gas safety, safety of electrical installations and compliance with furniture and furnishing fire safety regulations…basically all of the issues that you would expect YOUR landlord to take responsibility for if you were to reside in the property as a tenant yourself.

It might take some negotiation to find a middle ground on which all parties are satisfied with their legal obligations. Any changes should be agreed in writing and signed off as legally binding, perhaps as an addendum to any existing lease or sublet agreements that are already in place.

You have to remember that a sublet in the eyes of the law places the person operating the sublet as landlord, and so all of the regulations that apply to landlords will also apply to the sublettor.

Taking responsibility

While it may be possible to rely on your lease agreement with your own landlord to cover some of your legal responsibilities as a sublettor, you should, as a matter of course, perform your own due diligence for your expected landlord duties -- just in case your own landlord has missed something or won't be able to back you up if and when the time comes to it.

As appealing as subletting property might appear to you on the surface though, there are safety issues that you'll need to deal with before embarking on such a journey. You cannot assume that just by subletting your property you are immune to responsibilities that are expected from any owner-landlord -- just remember that in the eyes of your tenant (and the law) YOU are the landlord… if anything goes wrong it is YOU who they will turn to, and it is YOU who the law will look prosecute.

In some instances the law places special obligations on subletting landlords. One such example is the gas safety regulations. For sublets of less than seven years the subletting landlord has a legal duty to ensure that… 

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  All gas fittings and flues in the property are safe

  
  


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  An annual safety check is carried out by a CORGI registered engineer

  
  


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  Records of each safety check are kept for a minimum 2-year period

  
  


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  Safety check records are distributed to the existing tenant within 28 days

  
  

Additionally, you may need to supply a copy of the annual gas safety certificate and records to your own landlord.

An all-encompassing role

Subletting property can bring with it some complex safety issues for the subletting landlord. What happens if the tenant is injured by an unsafe electrical socket? Who takes responsibility if a loosely fitted carpet results in the tenant tripping over and breaking a leg? As the sublettor is the landlord, it is he/she who will be held to account. In this all-encompassing role the sublettor MUST therefore take all the precautions that any landlord would take…and this includes taking out appropriate insurances as well as performing their own due diligence and safety checks on the property. Yes -- you might be able to shift the responsibility over to your own landlord, but do you really want to take that risk…especially when you consider the possible consequences of being prosecuted?

Is your Property in a Strong Radio Frequency Field?

 

HaShem looks after our health, He also commanded us to look after it ourselves: VeNishmarted Me'od LeNafshosechem - ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותכם. One of the areas that has been frequently debated is the issue of radiation, whether there is a tangible risk and what can be done to prevent its effects.

 

Every day we are bombarded by radio waves. It matters not whether we are at home, at work or out in the open air, each of us comes into contact with a veritable tangle of radio transmission sources, both natural and manmade, as we go about our daily routines. On the list of radiation 'emitters' are items like mobile 'phones and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) PC monitors (LCD or LED screens emit much less radiation). According to a recent study by US and Swedish scientists, radiation from mobile 'phones may in fact be enough to interrupt our sleep patterns - even when no calls are coming through.

 

Outside we have to contend with radiation from power and wireless telephone masts and, increasingly, from the electronic 'smog' of WiFi communications. WiFi is a mode of wireless communication that allows remote connectivity between a network and wireless laptop computers, PDAs (=Personal Digital Assistants) and mobile 'phones. Many UK towns and cities are now setting up public access WiFi technology across the urban area. Known as WiFi hotspots or clouds, they provide the ability to connect at many different locations - hotels, cafes, airports, parks etc. - without the need for equipment to be physically plugged into a cable or 'phone line.

 

Radio emissions from WiFi technology are likely to be of great concern in the future. But right now the focus for those worried about the affects of radio waves on human health is on the means by which mobile phone signals are transmitted and received. I am of course talking about mobile telephone masts. 

 

Mobile telephone masts

Questions were first raised in the 1990s as to the health impact of mobile phone masts on those living close by to them. A concentration of radio waves in the vicinity of the masts, it was feared, could have harmful effects. Indeed, there seemed a clear case to answer when studies in the late 90's and early 2000's revealed a higher than normal rate of cancer being reported in areas clustered close to mobile phone masts.

More recent studies however seem to have discredited the link. They have cited other external and environmental factors as the cause. That said, there is still no definitive proof, one way or the other. Given that many hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK reside in the radiation 'smog' surrounding mobile phone masts, should homeowners be concerned?

Living in a strong radio frequency field

'Yes', homeowners should be concerned claim Mast Sanity -- the UK's leading opposition organisation to the siting of mobile phone masts near homes and schools. They point to expert opinion and studies independent of telephone operators that cast doubt on research findings which claim to categorically deny that health risks exist from mobile phone mast radiation. The body of evidence they point to is substantial and shows that not only can radiation from mobile phone masts increase cancer risk, but exposure to the radiation can cause a wide variety of illnesses including headaches, skin rashes, nausea and epilepsy.

A petition to the Prime Minister has been organised by the group that calls on the government to put safeguards in place to ensure no persons will be harmed through radiation exposure from mobile phone handsets, masts and WiFi technology.

On the other side of the fence, the Mobile Operators Association (MOA), which represents the UK's five mobile phone networks, takes the opposite viewpoint. They cite the thirty or so studies that underline an absence of risk to the public from mobile phone radiation / mast radiation, so long as radio frequency (RF) fields are at or below the international guidelines on exposure limits -- which they are for the UK's network of base stations and masts.

But who do you believe? If you're like the majority then you're probably of the opinion that the jury's still out on making a decision! Caution on both arguments could well be the best policy - especially when powerful conglomerates have a vested interest of keeping the public in the dark, as they stand to lose potentially billions as a result of negative reports about this issue.  

Protecting your property against RF emissions

If you live in close proximity to a mobile phone mast and feel the need to act against the unit's potentially harmful RF emissions, your best course of action is to form a campaign to lobby the council or local government with a view to having the mast removed or relocated. In terms of protecting your property you can reduce trespass of emissions into your rooms by lining walls with aluminium foil. Failing that you can apply a carbon paint to your walls, one variety of which claims to deflect 98% of incoming radiation from mobile phone masts. Magnetic paint may also be used to absorb radio waves and prevent them from entering your property.

 

 

So far, with the link between mobile phone mast radiation and illnesses in those living nearby still unproven by mainstream science, no real knock-on effect has been observed in the value of property in affected areas. The question is, do you gamble on staying where you are or do you move? The choice is yours.

 

 

 

 

Effects of Damp on Property Structures

In my last article Damp Dangers I talked about the effects of damp environments on people's health. Here I want to switch the focus to the building structure itself. When buildings suffer damp, either by way of rainwater penetration or through rising damp from the ground, the materials the structure is comprised of may become compromised. This damage may show itself both externally and internally. In the very worst of cases it could cause the property to become unstable and therefore dangerous to live in.

 

External damp damage

As most damp problems originate from outside the building, damage to external walls tends to become evident before any effects are detected internally. Usually, damp penetrates through defective brickwork, pointing and stonework. If brick faces are decayed because of long-term exposure to the elements, they will allow moisture to enter the brickwork and take up residency in the property's structure. As well as the obvious entry points for moisture in the walls -- i.e. cracked or broken bricks / stones / render -- look out too for rebated mortar joints; blown, cracked and shelled brick faces, and algae attaching itself to the surface of brickwork. These are all sure-fire signs that moisture is entering the property structure.

 

Once inside the walls moisture begins to eat away at the integrity of the structure. Freeze-thaw of moisture in the wintertime is a particular problem as water expands in volume when frozen. Repeated freeze-thaw systematically destroys external walls, widening the gaps in which moisture can enter the building, so helping the damp to drive inwards to internal walls.

 

Internal damp problems

The first sign of damp trouble inside a property is normally found on the inside of westerly and southerly facing external walls - in our parts of the world, which is in the Northern hemisphere. Rainwater driven in from outside penetrates to the inner wall, often breaking down plaster into cracks and flakes and allowing mould to develop on the internal wall surface. When this happens you know you've got a problem!

 

High humidity coupled with poor ventilation promotes mould growth in damp areas of a property. In the winter, when the room temperature is high, particularly in smaller rooms or spaces that do not have windows to allow fresh air flow, mould takes hold quickly, discolouring and damaging the surface on which it grows. Remember: fungus likes damp, dark places where it can grow safely, as exposure to air for long periods it cannot dry out easily.

Independent of penetrating damp, but just as much of an issue is condensation, which again thrives in poorly ventilated rooms with moisture sources. WCs are particularly vulnerable here. For example a WC with a double radiator installed and no window is a recipe for disaster. Why? Because the cold water pipe from the mains, which passes through this room, creates a clash: the warm air hits the ice cold pipe, causing the air to condensate. If this happens around the clock, you will see a wet pipe with a puddle on the floor. Eventually the walls near this pipe will start showing signs of mould; plaster starts becoming powdery, paint peels off from the pipes and/or the wall - which turn a green colour - and water seeps through the wall underneath wall tiles.

 

Condensation affects other rooms too. Kitchens are especially vulnerable, as are bedrooms (if not ventilated) and any room in which clothes are hung to dry, particularly if they are hung over radiators to dry. You may notice in these rooms plasterboard becoming 'blown up', and chipboard starting to "rise".

 

Protecting your property from the effects of damp

All buildings must be allowed to breathe. This means ensuring rooms are well ventilated, have low moisture content and do not have moisture 'sealed in' to the walls courtesy of non-breathable surface coverings.

 

So, what action should you take? In the first instance, landlords and homeowners must be proactive in checking external walls for signs of damage. Regular checks and preventative / repair work should be carried out to keep brick faces and mortar free from penetrating moisture.

 

Inside the property, homeowners and tenants must take responsibility for controlling condensation. For example, in small rooms, radiator valves should be turned down and doors left open to keep the air from stagnating. Where possible, open a window or skylight to promote better movement of air around the rooms. You could also consider installing dehumidifiers in some of the worst affected rooms.

 

If the problem occurs in larger spaces, check if there is a window / skylight that has been left open or is not properly sealed. A continual supply of cold air could be interacting with the warm air created from the radiator and together they "stick" to the cold water pipes and surfaces in these rooms.

 

To deal with condensation problems in larger spaces, turn the radiator(s) in the rooms down to a minimum and fit lagging to the pipe. For our purposes, lagging a pipe means to wrap a pipe that conducts hot or cold water. The material is a rigid foam available from your local DIY store. It is tubular in shape and is scored across its length. The score opens up to a slit, which then allows you to insulate the pipe. This protects the pipe from coming into contact with air at different temperatures and with different moisture content.

Gas Safety for Landlords and Homeowners

Millions of households across Britain rely on natural gas for heating and cooking. It is a fuel that is often perceived as a cheap alternative to electricity; some even prefer to use it instead of electricity. But for all the convenience it brings, we should remember that gas has a deadly side to it. Not only can it bring about carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of gas appliances not burning their fuel efficiently, but a build up of gas can also cause an explosion due to its high level of flammability. Great care must therefore be taken in installing and maintaining gas appliances, and also in their use.

 

Gas in the home

 

The Health and Safety Executive recommend that domestic gas appliances in the home be checked for their continued safety once every 12 months. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, only Council of Register Gas Installers (CORGI) engineers are allowed to service and maintain gas appliances. In fact it is now illegal for an unqualified person to interfere with the gas supply into a property, or work on or install a gas appliance. Anyone installing a gas cooker for example must be CORGI-Registered. Homeowners with knowledge of gas appliance installations could disconnect and/or reconnect bayonet fittings if they wanted to - for the latest rules governing this please refer to the 1998 Regulations and updates provided by the Health and Safety Executive. But the law states that a CORGI-Registered engineer MUST be the person who connects the hose / appliance to the gas supply.

 

Gas in rented property

 

Renting out property in the UK requires that landlords adhere to a mass of laws to ensure the safety of their tenants. Among them is the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Under this umbrella of legislation landlords must:

 

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  Use a CORGI-Registered engineer for installation of new gas appliances, pipe work and flues -- the flues being the pipes and vents that remove burnt gas from appliances and out of the house.

  
  

 

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  Use a CORGI-Registered engineer for maintenance of gas appliances, pipe work and flues (as above).

  
  

 

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  Arrange for annual gas safety checks at the rented property every 12 months. Checks are to be performed by a CORGI-Registered engineer. If gas installations are passed as safe the engineer will issue a Gas Safety Certificate. Should repair work be necessary, the landlord MUST (by law) enlist the services of a CORGI-Registered engineer to carry out the repair work.

  
  

 

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  Keep records of safety checks for a minimum of two years.

  
  

 

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  Provide a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate to existing tenants in the property within 28 days of issue by the engineer. For new tenants a copy of the current Gas Safety Certificate must be supplied at the beginning of the tenancy.

  
  

 

For landlords the requirements may seem like a lot of red tape, and just a further expense in running a rental property. However, the Regulations are there for a reason -- to save lives.

 

The importance of gas safety checks

In September 2005 52-year old Charles Cook from the Middleton area of Greater Manchester suffered serious burns after a gas explosion at his home in the early hours of the morning. The blast, thought to have been caused by a gas leak, destroyed the property and damaged neighbouring houses. Mr Cook was taken to hospital and spent time in intensive care to recover from the ordeal. Sadly, Mr Cook's experience is repeated all too often in homes around the country where regular safety checks on gas appliances have been absent. In some cases the blasts are fatal resulting in a tragic loss of life from situations that might have been avoided had safety checks been implemented.

 

What to do if you smell gas

 

While gas safety checks are designed to keep you safe long-term, there is still the chance that a gas appliance might malfunction, or that a gas leak develops in the pipe work between annual safety checks. If you smell gas, this is what you need to do:

 

1. 
   

   Call the National Grid's Gas Emergency number immediately. It is a freephone number -- 0800 111 999

   
   


2. 
   

   Open all doors and windows to help gas escape. DO NOT use light switches or handle a naked flame. Both could ignite the gas.

   
   


3. 
   

   Shut off the gas supply. This is done at the meter cupboard by operating the shut-off valve. For your peace of mind and for your safety it is a good idea to locate and practice operating the shut off valve. By doing so you'll have practical experience to call on in the event of a real life gas emergency.

   
   

Information about CORGI

CORGI started life as a voluntary organisation in 1970 following a gas cooker explosion in a block of flats in London that caused part of the building to collapse. Some 4,000 gas operatives joined the scheme initially, and by 1991 it became a statutory requirement for anyone working with gas to gain CORGI registration. Today CORGI has some 110,000 engineers operating in the UK. Their work is regulated in the field by CORGI inspectors, each CORGI engineer being required to prove their competence with gas once every five years.

 

 

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Gearing up for Climate Change

Climate Change - or as it is currently called Global warming - is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. Simply put, when you hear terms like emissions, pollution, carbon dioxide, greenhouse effect or ozone layer - all of these terms, which you may have recently heard about in the news - form part of the global problem called Climate Change.

In the beginning of December 2007, government representatives from 190 nations met on the Indonesian island of Bali. Their (e)mission was to agree a new climate deal to replace the ageing 1997 Kyoto Protocol (named after the town in Japan that hosted the original symposium) a pact that the United States refused to ratify. The Bali conference was hailed a success. Last minute negotiations brought the United States reluctantly onside with a commitment to participate in the Bali Road Map - a framework deal to establish a new climate treaty by 2009.

The message that came out of Bali was clear: Climate change is real and it is happening right now. What's more, the UK will likely be one of the first nations to suffer the consequences of a warming world. An example of what could happen in England: rivers across the country could alter their flow rate, due to the effects of changes in rainfall, temperature and other causes that are directly linked to atmospheric variations.

Property owners in the firing line
Did you experience the Great Storm of 1987, the worst storm to hit England since the Great Storm of 1703 - or perhaps the Burns Day storm in 1990, when one of the strongest storms on record charged over Northwestern Europe? If you did you'll remember the devastation they caused. Both wrought extensive damage across large tracts of the countryside and inner cities. Roofs were torn clean away from tens of thousands of buildings, hundreds of thousands of trees were uprooted - many of which smashed into homes and destroyed vehicles. These storms were catastrophic events, meteorologists at the time claiming them to be once in 250-year events.

But the climate is changing, at least according to scientists. A mass of scientific evidence collected over the last two decades shows, unequivocally, that our world is warming. In a warmer world more energy will exist in our atmosphere. This is expected to give rise to stronger and more frequent windstorms rolling in off the Atlantic across the UK. Scenes reminiscent of 1987 and 1990 could become commonplace, properties in the UK being subject to a higher incidence of storm force winds.

Conditions are expected to be wetter too. Flash floods of the likes seen in Boscastle and Crackington Haven in Cornwall during August 2004 are projected to become a regular occurrence - and there is no guarantee as to where it will hit next. Combine this with the accelerated ice melt in the Arctic leading to more extreme coastal flooding events and the outlook is rather grim. All in all it's bad news for property owners, many of whom could find themselves faced with higher property repair bills and insurance premiums as climate change tightens its grip. The question is, are you at risk?

Assessing risk to property from climate change
Climate change poses a risk to all of us. However, some property owners are more vulnerable than others. Properties located in the north and west of the UK are likely to endure the worst of the strengthening windstorms. Exposed elevated locations will be most at risk from wind damage. But even in the cities, such as Manchester for example, damage to property from high winds may become more of an issue.

With more intense rainfall forecast to drop from the storms that cross the UK, city dwellers everywhere are going to be at a higher risk of flash floods. The problem is that our concrete cities cannot absorb rainfall in the same way as fields and soil are able to do in the countryside. The only way rain can escape is via storm drains - and these struggle to cope even now. With a higher incidence of intense rainfall events predicted there's only one outcome to expect -- more flash flooding.

For London and coastal locations the news gets worse. Rising sea levels mean that dwellings on tidal rivers and close to the coast are at a greater risk of flooding by the sea - especially in storm surge conditions as we saw last month down the East Coast. Sea flooding is a serious issue for property owners, not least because of the effects of saltwater on the property's structure.

What can you do to fight climate change?
If you think that your property is located in a vulnerable area - i.e. one that could easily be flooded, either by river or sea, or be exposed to high winds - what should you do to protect yourself? Well, short of moving to or reinvesting in a less vulnerable location, your options are rather limited. Your best course of action really is to tackle the root cause of climate change - the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the chief greenhouse gas pollutant responsible for causing global warming. Basically, using Gas or Oil-fired Boilers, Petrol powered vehicles or consuming electricity - all contribute to the Greenhouse effect. By changing our lifestyles and activities to reduce the amount of CO2 that we are personally responsible for releasing, either directly or indirectly, into the atmosphere, the greater our impact will be in the fight to stop climate change.

How can this be done in practice? The answer is to use less electricity, petrol and gas! For example, power stations pump massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. By saving energy through better home insulation, switching off lights in rooms that you are not using and changing light bulbs to energy saving ones - or cycling to work once a week - you can save on the amount of CO2 you use.

If we all took up the challenge we could collectively make a very big difference to CO2 output in the UK, and make a real stand against climate change. You will then appreciate and better understand the much uttered term "Carbon Footprint".

A NICEIC Inspection saves lives

It is very easy to take electricity for granted. For many of us, the invisible force that lights our homes, helps us cook our meals and powers our computers and home appliances is only ever noticed when it is not there. A power outage, for example, underlines the true impact that electricity has on our lives. The same could be said of electrical hazards -- it is often not until we hear or read about the dangers of electricity, or experience for ourselves an electric shock, burn or even a fire caused by faulty electrical equipment or wiring, that we become appreciative of just how harmful electricity can be.

Faulty wiring kills

In Britain around 10 people die each year and approximately 750 are injured, some badly so, when they come into contact with faulty wiring in the home. Newspaper archives reveal their stories. Some have suffered severe burns; others have had limbs removed to save their lives - and these are the lucky ones. Baroness Tonge, former MP for Richmond Park in London, lost her daughter, Mary Wherry, when she was electrocuted by a metal plate rack fixed to the wall. The rack was in contact with unsafe wiring in the wall, rendering the rack live. Electricity really does not discriminate.

First Aid

 

Should you be first on the scene to someone who has received an electric shock, great care must be taken in administering first aid. If the injured person is still in contact with the electric current they could be 'live', and could pass that current through to you if you touch them. Your priority then is to make the situation as safe as possible before helping the victim.

 

First, if it is safe to do so, turn off the power at the mains. Next, separate the injured person from the faulty appliance using a non-conductive item, such as a wooden broom handle. This is important as even in situations where the power is off there could be enough residual current in the injured person's body to shock you.

 

Once you are confident that there is no further danger to you, check the victim for life signs and call for an ambulance. If the victim is not breathing, start resuscitation. Should the person be conscious keep them calm and attend to injuries where possible. For burns, look to cool them with water -- NEVER use ointments or oils on the burns. Stay at the scene with the victim until the ambulance crew arrive and explain to them what happened. The ambulance crew will do the rest, whilst you should then start praying for the injured.

 

Preventative measures

 

Electric shocks arising from faulty equipment and wiring are largely preventable. To reduce the risk in your home all you need do is schedule an inspection of your electrical installations by a NICEIC registered electrician. The electrician will inspect all electrical fittings and circuit wiring in your property to ensure it is safe. They will produce a report, known as a "Periodic Inspection Report for an Electrical Installation" or NICEIC Certificate in short, which will detail the results of their findings. If an electrical installation is found to be unsafe the electrician will notify you of the problem and provide you with an estimate to correct the fault.

 

For fault correction (and new electrical work) in your property you are now required by law to use a competent person or firm approved by the government under Part-P of the Buildings Regulations. By opting to use a suitably qualified contractor who is registered with the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) you'll comply with these requirements. It'll afford you peace of mind too -- NICEIC registered electricians guarantee that their work meets approved industry standards and they'll provide you with up to a six-year - and in case of new-build, up to a ten year - warranty as well. What more could you ask for?

 

NICEIC inspections are available to homeowners and landlords alike. However, whereas homeowners can decide for themselves whether or not to check their electrical installations, landlords have a duty to ensure the safety of their tenants, and so must carry out periodic checks. This is normally done whenever there is a change of tenant, the reason being that the departing tenant may have altered, installed or damaged electrical installations without notifying the landlord, or even worse, commissioned unqualified workers to carry out those alterations. Periodic NICEIC inspections help landlords comply with the law here, keeping tenants safe from potentially dangerous electrics that might be present in the property.