safety at home 

• Adhere to prevailing electric line clearances when constructing a house. Contact an authorised representative from your local electricity service provider (CEB, LECO) for more information 
• Employ a competent electrician for electrical installation and repairs 
• Install a main switch with automatic disconnection facility within a reachable height not exposed to adverse weather conditions 
• Install a trip switch (Residual Current Device) and check the operation at regular intervals (at least once a month) by pressing the test button. This avoids freezing of the device and ensure proper operation 
• Check whether the earth wire for your house electrical installation is properly installed 
• Do not forcefully switch on a tripped MCB (miniature circuit breaker) without identifying and rectifying the fault 
• Keep electricity and water apart. Necessary precautions should be taken when required to use electricity in wet conditions (ponds, foundations) 
• Be aware of electrical wiring concealed in the wall when drilling and engaged in other household maintenance work 
• Do not plug two-pin plugs into three-pin plug socket outlets. Switch off power before pulling out or plugging in 
• Only use extension leads fitted with suitably insulated connectors and plugs 
• Fully switch off TVs, DVD players, music players, and laptops, and unplug from supply when not in use 
• Do not connect many appliances to a single electric socket outlet 
• De energise the relevant circuit or main isolator (breaker) if you are doing any electrical-related upgrading, repairing etc. 
• Don’t charge mobile phones, laptops or use heaters and/or an iron without attention 
• Check any old equipment before use for wear and tear and damages in installation 
• In case your house is affected by flood, switch off the main breaker to disconnect electricity to the house and prevent electrical shocks through water 

BOX 2 Electrical safety outside 

• Be aware of your safety when engaged in activities close to power lines and other electrical infrastructure 
• Keep kites or any other flying objects away from overhead power lines 
• Never assume that a wire is safe to touch even if it is down or appears to be insulated. Inform your service provider or the police immediately in such an event 
• Use wooden or non-conductive ladders to carry out work near overhead power lines 
• Do not draw unauthorised electric lines to protect property from animals or any other purpose. Inform your service provider or the police immediately if you spot such incidents 
• Never hang banners, ropes etc on utility poles or electrical towers 
• Don’t install antennas near overhead power lines 
• Do not draw/extend unsafe temporary electric lines for outdoor work. It will cause danger not only to you but also to others 

By the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka  Electricity helps make our lives easier but there are times when we can take its power and its potential for fire-related hazards for granted.  Even though the wide availability of electricity has immensely contributed to the development of Sri Lanka, it has claimed a number of lives irrespective of the gender, age, occupation, religion or race as a result of not using it with due attention and care.  The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) is the regulator for the electricity industry and regulates safety, technical and economic aspects of the electricity industry.  As PUCSL looks after the safety aspects of electricity in Sri Lanka, a number of measures have been taken through regulatory interventions and uplifting the industry standards to create an electrical safe environment in the country.  Prior to the introduction of the PUCSL, about 200 deaths occurred annually due to severe electric shocks. Due to the regulations and various awareness campaigns carried out by the PUCSL, the death toll has been reduced to 85 per year.  The 2021 Electrocution Analysis Report by PUCSL shows that 86 electrocutions took place in Sri Lanka during the months of January to September 2021 and North Western Province has recorded the highest electrocutions which stands for 15.  The latest statistics show, males are more exposed to electrocutions as 91% from total fatalities due to electrocution reported in 2021 were males. People who are at the age range of 40 to 50 stood as the most vulnerable age group exposed to electrocution in 2021.  PUCSL Inspectorate Division Director Electrical Engineer Dr. Nilatha Sapumanage shared his insights on how PUCSL is involved in creating an electrical-safe environment in Sri Lanka.  “Through our data analysis for years, we have found major reasons for electrical accidents in Sri Lanka. Drawing power lines to illegally to protect cultivation or to kill wild animals, small scale electric repair work at home or in the workplace and activities near power lines, carelessness, energising substandard or faulty equipment, malfunctioning or non-availability of RCD, unsafe extensions, lack of awareness, no proper maintenance, licensee’s fault, poor wiring and violation of minimum electrical line clearance are some of the reasons for electrocutions in Sri Lanka. Therefore, we have introduced a number of major changes to Sri Lanka’s electricity industry to make it safer for the public and other stakeholders. One is the introduction of new standards for plugs and socket outlets in Sri Lanka and the other is introduction of electricians’ license framework for electricians in Sri Lanka,” stated Dr. Sapumanage.  What is this new standard in Sri Lanka related to plugs and sockets?  As per Gazette notification No. 2048/39 issued on 7 December 2017 under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 09 of 2003, selling, promoting or displaying for sale, of plugs and sockets, power extension cords and one to one conversion adaptors in the shops or in online market stores in Sri Lanka is prohibited since 1 January 2019 unless the said products/items bear the SLS product certification mark issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI).  Accordingly, only the electrical appliances carrying 13A plugs with square pins, 13A sockets with square holes, extension cords carrying plugs with square pins and sockets with square holes and 5A-13A and 13A-5A single conversion adapters can be sold in the market currently. Further, aforesaid sockets, extension cords and adapters also must also bear the SLS product certification mark.  In addition, as per Gazette notification No. 2032/10 issued on 15 August 2017 under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No.1 of 1969, the importation of items which do not conform to the above standard is also prohibited.  What is the reason for imposing such a standard in Sri Lanka? The main objective of this was to ensure the convenience and safety of electricity consumers. The Public Utilities Commission and the Institution of Engineers of Sri Lanka conducted a market study in 2016 and found that electrical appliances available in the market come with around 15 different types of plugs attached to them. And it was revealed that most of the consumers notice that the purchased appliance has a different type of plug even after taking them home. But, since most of the houses only have 5A, 13A and 15A sockets fixed on the walls, consumers are severely inconvenienced when it comes to match these different plugs and sockets. In such instances, consumers had got accustomed to use unsafe and substandard multiplugs and power extension cords to connect these devices to the electricity supply. Usage of such unsafe and substandard multiplugs and power extension cords caused many electrical accidents. Therefore, in order to ensure the convenience and safety of electricity consumers, this national standard for plugs and sockets in Sri Lanka was introduced.  Why was the 13A plug and socket chosen as the national standard? There are several reasons for that: 

1. 13A sockets can fulfil the all the requirements of the most commonly used three types of sockets (5A, 13A and 15A sockets) in Sri Lanka 
2. 13A plugs and sockets are already used as the national single standard in more than 30 countries around the world including the UK, Ireland, the UAE, Singapore and Malaysia 
3. The rectangular pins of 13A plug firmly connect with its socket compared to the same of 5A and 15A plugs with round pins 

Should the plugs and sockets currently used in houses be replaced upon the introduction of this new standard?  There is no prohibition to continue using the existing 5A, 15A plugs and sockets in houses until they expire. At the end of the life of a 15A socket, it can be replaced with a 13A socket directly, as its wiring circuit has been designed to 15A. In addition, 13A-5A and 5A-13A single conversion adapters with safety shutters have been already introduced into the market in place of the multiplugs. Therefore, these conversion adapters can be used safely to avoid the inconvenience until the end of the lifetime of 5A plugs and sockets.  Should the wiring behind the 5A socket be changed if a malfunctioned 5A socket is replaced by a 13A socket?  No. A socket labelled as “6A MAX”, but with 13A face has already been introduced in the market as a solution for this.  Will there be a change in power consumption when 13A sockets are used instead of 5A sockets?  No. Power consumption is determined by the wattage of the appliance used, irrespective of the type of socket it is connected to. Therefore, there will be no increase in the electricity bill.  Have the desired objectives been achieved up to now by the introduction of this new standard?  Almost 99% of the electrical appliances available in the market today come with a 13A plug with rectangular pins. When such a device is used in a home, where there are 13A rectangular sockets on the wall, the device can be connected easily to the electricity supply without any inconvenience. Therefore, the requirement for unsafe devices such as multiplugs has not arisen.  Despite having the above law, a lot of devices/items which do not conform to this standard are still available to sell in the online market stores. Is it allowed to sell such devices/items through online market stores? No. It is illegal to sell such devices/items in Sri Lanka, even in online market stores. Therefore, some of the identified online stores have already been advised to refrain from selling or promoting such devices/items in their online stores.  Explain the national framework for licensing electricians in Sri Lanka.  The PUCSL has introduced more than 20 regulatory tools to the electricity sector to safeguard the consumer and the utility and has continually given policy advice to the Government on various issues with regard to electricity safety.  Also, we have introduced a national framework for licensing electricians in Sri Lanka to ensure electrical safety, to uplift the standard of the electricians in the country and to support the process of implantation of the regulatory tools that we have introduced. The national framework for licensing electricians is also linked with the National Vocational Qualification where the minimum qualification to become a licensed electrician is having the Level Three of National Vocational Training Qualification (NVQ3) in accordance to the Cabinet approval given on 15 July 2019. We have identified that Sri Lanka has approximately 45,000 electricians. Only a few of them have this qualification. Most of them do not have a qualification but experience. To implement the licensing framework, the PUCSL launched another accelerated programme to provide NVQ3 qualification to electricians free of charge. This programme gives national and international recognition for electricians and uplifts their professional standards.  We started this programme in March this year and by now we have been able to provide the qualification to approximately 5000 electricians islandwide. This will help consumers to get household electrical wiring through a qualified electrician in adherence to all the standards. Additionally, electricians themselves will be able to climb up the ladder by gaining this qualification. The framework has set the path for electricians to become supervisors and technical managers through the National Vocational Qualification scheme.  The PUCSL plans to offer the license for all the qualified electricians next year and has already laid the plans to extend the license framework for plumbers as well.