With the south west monsoon rains expected to gain momentum in the district in the coming days, electricity consumers should check the installations at home or office for defects and take the required precautions to avoid electrical accidents, said officials.
According to data available with the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), there were 49 fatal electrical accidents in 2022 in Coimbatore, Tiruppur and the Nilgiris districts, including two in the Electricity Department. The number of non-fatal accidents were 38.
An official of Tangedco said most of the accidents were because of negligence by the consumers. It is mandatory for consumers to install Residual Current Circuit Breakers (RCCB) when they get temporary connection to construct buildings. “But, they should buy quality products that have BIS mark.” Existing consumers can also install RCCBs.
The number of accidents in 2022 were almost the same as 2021. Most of the accidents took place within the premises of the consumer either because of damaged wires or equipment or because of negligence, the official added.
Consumers should check the wire connections at home and rectify installations that are defective. They should not keep wet hands near plug points and should be careful when they dry clothes or pick fruits from trees if there are electricity lines nearby. It is important to buy electrical items that have ISI mark so that the quality of the products is good, the official added.
