Q. We have a “Safety Switch” installed. Doesn't that protect us?

No, not entirely. A “Safety Switch" or Residual Current Device (RCD) only protects against certain types of electrical faults. We have attended workplaces fitted with a safety switch, where the switch has been faulty, or where wiring has been done by a previous tenant to circumvent it as it "kept going off"! Only two things that could have been causing that - a faulty Safety Switch or short circuiting electrical equipment and in neither case is the best solution to circumvent the Safety Switch!

It is recommended that all homes and workplaces be fitted with RCDs. The use of an RCD however, is not an excuse for complacency when it comes to the regular inspection and testing of your electrical appliances.

Back to F.A.Q Index next - Does our "Safety Switch" (RCD) need regular testing?