Energex is urging householders to report any shocks or tingles they feel around their homes, regardless of how minor it might seem at the time.
Area Manager at Energex, Chris Graham said they could be related to a potentially life-threatening electrical fault.
“This issue is more common than people think, with more than 1,400 shocks and tingles reported in South-East Queensland last year,” Mr Graham said.
“At no cost to the caller, one of our crews will come to the premise, diagnose the source of the electric shock and recommend the next course of action for the property owner.”
He said if a fault was found on the Energex side of the network the utility would repair it at no cost.
“However, if the fault is found to be within the customer’s property, we will make the premise electrically safe and the owner will need to engage the services of a licensed electrical contractor to carry out the potentially lifesaving repair,” Mr Graham said.
“Customers have also unwittingly risked their lives by using work-arounds to avoid further shocks, like wearing thongs in the shower, rubber gloves when they’re doing dishes or avoiding certain power points.”
He said people should never receive a shock or tingle from any metal components and ignore it.
“Delayed reporting is usually due to not understanding the seriousness of the issue, so we want everyone to understand these incidents are potentially life-threatening and if you don’t act immediately you are putting yourself or someone else at risk,” Mr Graham said.
He said that in the past customers had reported receiving shocks and tingles from indoor and outdoor taps, showers, shed doors and ladders resting on gutters.
Further information about electrical safety can be found at this PS News link.
