Electrical safety - storms and floods clean up and recovery

Cleaning up after flooding is a challenging time and you may be faced with dangerous and hazardous situations.

It’s important to stay safe while you’re cleaning up your property.

Hazards may include electrical dangers in both domestic and work situations and general cleanup issues requiring the use of protective clothing and special procedures such as those for asbestos removal.

Residents of flood-affected areas should take precautions to prevent electrocution or injuries from electricity.

• Continue to listen to your local radio station for official warnings and advice.
• If your incoming power from the street has come down (aerial) or your underground service pillar has been flood damaged, contact your local electricity distribution entity and keep clear of fallen, low or damaged powerlines.
• To check the electrical safety of the rest of your property (i.e. the house and garage wiring etc) call a licensed electrical contractor to inspect and carry out verification tests on your switchboard, wiring, equipment and appliances. Ask for a certificate of test.
• Once a contractor has provided written advice to your local electrical distribution entity that it is safe to do so, they will reconnect electricity as soon as possible.

Find a licensed electrical contractor:

• Electrical licence holder search
• Yellow pages 
• Master Electricians Australia
• National Electrical and Communication Association

Outside

• Keep clear of trailing electrical cables, foil insulation or other conductive material that may be lying around your house – they may be carrying an electrical current.
• Be aware of electrical signs, street lights and other metal electrical items on the street as they may be damaged and carrying an electrical current.

Powerlines

• Stay well clear of any fallen or low powerlines taking particular caution if travelling in a boat in flooded areas. Warn others to do the same.
• Report any fallen, low or damaged lines to the emergency services or the local electricity distribution entity.

House switchboards

• Stay away from switchboards if they are damaged by water, fire or if lightning is close, and warn others to do the same.
• If mains power is lost report this to the local electricity distribution entity.

Electrical work

• Do not do your own electrical work at any time, under any circumstances. This could result in life-threatening injuries.

Electrical appliances and equipment

• If your house or business has been affected by floodwaters, electrical equipment, wiring and appliances may have been damaged. Using water-damaged equipment can result in electric shocks and fires.
• The Electrical Safety Office recommends disposing of water-affected household electrical items, such as kettles and toasters, rather than taking the risk of an accident occurring.
• Dispose of water-affected appliances appropriately – render them unusable by twisting off the pins from the plug top. Do not cut the plug top off, as this would present an unsafe situation if someone plugged it into a power point.
• Get a licensed electrical contractor to check all water-affected electrical equipment, wiring and appliances such as air-conditioning units, intended for re-use. This would be at the owner’s expense, but is well worth it in terms of safety and peace of mind, and may be essential before the power supply can be reconnected.

Generators

• People using portable generators after a network power failure should be aware that power from generators can be dangerous if used incorrectly.
• Portable generators should only be used to power essential equipment, such as fridges.
• Do not connect the generator to your house electrical wiring unless a proper generator change-over switch and appropriate socket have already been installed by a licensed electrical contractor.
• Do not connect your generator to your house using a power point on a power circuit or any other connection point. This is illegal and dangerous. This could energise the powerlines and cause an electric shock to anyone coming into contact with them. Also, plugging the generator into your house circuit could cause the generator to fail and cause a fire, or damage the generator and circuits.
• Ensure all leads used to connect your generator are in good working condition, i.e. no damage to plugs or lead and no exposed wires.
• Only use power boards with an overload cut-out switch.
• Place leads and power boards so they will not be affected by mechanical damage (stepped on, tripping, etc), flooding, or fire (coiled leads, overload).
• Be aware of risks, including electrocution, and poisoning / suffocation from carbon monoxide exhaust gases.
• Always run the generator outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, don't exceed the generator's load rating, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

More information

For further information on electrical safety and storms, and general electrical safety, contact:

• Ergon Energy on 13 10 46
• Energex on 13 12 53
• Country Energy on 13 23 56
• the Electrical Safety Office on 1300 650 662

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