My name's Anthony I'm with Ergon Energy. We're here to teach you a little bit about Electrical Safety. Now one of the things we're seeing at the moment is really important for you guys to remember, is if you're at home and you touch the shower, or you touch a tap outside and you get a little tingle, that's really important to tell mum. Then you need to go to a licensed electrical contractor or tell Ergon because something needs to be done straight away. And now what I'd like to do is go through some common problems that we see in home, but the first one I would like to get you to think about is if you see a power lead, it's all frayed and you can actually see the cables coming out.That again can be very very dangerous that's something that needs to be looked at by a licensed electrician. Other things that we kind of see at home too are your power point switches. If they're loose or got cracks in them, really important to have them fixed straight away because again that can cause electrical problems, you can get a zap off them. The other things that we see are, people when they get double adaptors and they piggy-back them altogether, that's very very dangerous. You should get rid of them straight away and go and get a Power Board to make sure you only have one plug in each, that's really, really important. And one of the things I taught my kids when they were young, if you're tasting something and it gets stuck don't ever put a knife or a fork in there. That could kill you. You need to go and tell mum and dad and make sure they turn the toaster off and then they can get the toast out for you. Really important.

Next up, I'd like to talk about electricity and how it can actually jump. Now you guys don't have to worry too much because the powerlines are right up high, but you could get a situation, you could be a safety hero if you saw dad, and he's out trying to cut a tree down out the front near the powerlines, you must remind and keep that away from the powerline, because it can actually jump and zap you. Now while we're talking about powerlines, if ever we had a situation where you've got a fallen powerline particularly around thunderstorm time, again, you don't even have to touch those wires, if you get close enough to them, they can still zap you. So if you ever you see a fallen powerline on the ground, you make sure you keep six meters away and immediately ring triple zero (000). And then triple zero will get on to us and we'll be able to come out and warn everybody else to stay away, that'd be really, really, helpful for us. So still on powerlines, if you were to have a kite and you're out there having a bit of a play, imagine if your kite got stuck on the powerlines. You might get a zap out of that too, or you might be climbing up in a tree you might get really close to the top. there might be powerlines running through. so always have a look around before you do anything, look around for powerlines that's really important as well.

So finally, I just like to remind you that water and electricity doesn't mix. Imagine if you've got a hair dryer next to your bath and you're sitting in the bath having a good time and someone bumps a hair dryer in, what do you think would happen? I don't let any electrical things in our bathroom because it is too dangerous. Or even if you notice someone's outside, maybe dad's out trimming the garden and he's got an extension lead that's going near the pool, no, you say stop, you must really be conscious of that. Really, really, important again, and if you want to learn more about Electrical Safety if you go to the Ergon website you'll see hero's at home page and that can help you become a safety hero.

Vehicle accidents can bring down powerlines and cause damage to electrical equipment at ground level. It's important to remember that the vehicle, and anything else such as fences and trees in contact with powerlines, could be 'live'.

If you are in a vehicle accident that involves power lines remember:

Stay calm.

Treat all powerlines or any other electrical equipment as ‘live’

Stay in the vehicle until the power has been shut off and the powerlines removed. If you leave the car before the area is made safe, you risk being electrocuted.

Warn bystanders to stay a minimum of 10 metres away from the vehicle and anything else in contact with downed powerlines.

Don’t attempt to rescue or allow others to approach the vehicle if it is in contact or near downed powerlines.

STAY in the vehicle.

CALL triple zero.

WAIT for help.

So, what if it’s unsafe to stay in the vehicle?

If there’s immediate danger, like fire, assess your escape route and check for fallen powerlines.

• Exit the vehicle by jumping away from the vehicle, with both feet together.
• When jumping away, never touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time.
• Once you have landed with both feet together, continue jumping in this manner - feet together, bunny hop style. Alternatively, move by shuffling with your feet together, and don’t let your feet leave the ground. This is to reduce the risk of being shocked by electricity travelling through the ground.
• Continue moving away from the accident site in this manner until you are at least 10 metres away from the vehicle. Do not go back.

Remember, accidents do happen. If you’re in a vehicle, stay inside. If you’re a bystander, stay 10 metres away. Call triple zero (000) and wait for help.

One way of generating electricity is by moving a magnet across a metal conductor.This typically happens in a power station. The energy needed to move the magnet comes from steam produced by burning coal. Electricity can also be generated from renewable sources such as water wind or the sun.

Electricity leaves the power station along high-voltage power lines. These are connected to transmission towers to get the electricity to your home quickly and efficiently, the electrical pressure, or voltage starts as high as five hundred thousand volts. By the time the electricity reaches your home the voltage has been reduced to 240 volts. This is the standard voltage in Queensland and makes it possible for us to use electricity safely in our homes. Some countries have different voltages for their electrical appliances, so when you travel you may need different plugs and special transformers.

Electricity poles and powerlines are all around us, even under the ground. Before you or your family do any major digging in your yard, you should get mom or dad to ring Dial Before You Dig on 1100 or use the free Dial Before You Dig app to make sure there are no underground cables near your property. If you hit one you could be electrocuted as well as possibly interrupting the power to your suburb. Remember powerlines aren't always overhead, more and more of them are being laid underground particularly in newer suburbs.

Faulty appliances and damaged leads like these should be disconnected at the power point and fixed or replaced by a licensed electrical contractor. Never piggyback double adapters or overload power points, it could start a fire. Use a power board or have a licensed electrical contractor install extra power points. Always leave electricity and electrical work to the experts. Here a line crew is working on live power lines. They use special equipment and protective clothing to keep them safe when working on electrical equipment and powerlines. Remember to keep safe and if you see a dangerous situation involving electricity tell an adult.

We all hope we're never involved in an accident or emergency involving electricity, but if we are, it's important to know what to do. If you come across a dangerous situation or emergency involving electricity, ensure your own safety first and always remember you must leave it to the experts.

If you see a broken power point or damaged cord on an electrical appliance, don't keep using it, switch the power off and unplug it, but only if it's safe to do so. Tell an adult so they can have a licensed electrical contractor repair the damage. If you're outside and you see something you think is a fallen powerline, always assume it's live with electricity running through it. Stay at least 10 meters away, tell an adult, and call triple zero (000).

Shocks and tingles can be a sign that something's wrong with the electricity supply. If you get a shock from an electrical appliance or a water tap, tell an adult so they can report the shock immediately. Remember to keep safe and know what to do in an electrical emergency.

Water conducts electricity, that's because electrons can flow by hitching a ride on atoms and molecules in the water. Water contains dissolved substances such as salts, these greatly increase the ability of water to conduct electricity. That's why electricity passes easily through our bodies, because they're made up of a lot of water. This is why it's so important to keep water away from electricity and electrical appliances.

If your hands tingle when you put them in the sink, it may mean the water is conducting electricity and something is wrong. Or if you get a tingle from the tap let mom or dad know, as they need to call a licensed electrical contractor. When you have a bath there should be nothing electrical anywhere near you. This means if a household appliance like this hair dryer fell into the bath, whoever was in it would also become a conductor of electricity and receive a severe electric shock. Remember to keep safe electricity and water don't mix.