Electrical faults cause about 40 per cent of NSW’s 4500 house fires. Most of those fires could have been prevented if safety switches were installed.

The importance of installing and testing safety switches will be highlighted as part of a new Master Electricians Australia and NSW Government campaign.

The SafeWork NSW and Fair Trading campaign is calling for every NSW home to have a safety switch installed.

It comes after numerous fatal house fires caused by faulty wiring that could have been prevented if safety switches had been installed.

MEA has petitioned governments across Australia to make safety switches mandatory in homes when they are sold or rented in order to save lives.

The campaign will be delivered with industry partners including unions, energy retailers and CHOICE to educate and encourage NSW homeowners to install switches and to undertake regular checks.

Safety switches can save lives in the case of unexpected emergencies including:

• a child jamming a knife into a toaster
• a handyman drilling into an unexpected live cable inside a wall
• stormwater leaking through a roof and into lights and appliances

But they need to be regularly tested to make sure they are still keeping you safe.

The government has also warned homeowners against conducting dangerous, and illegal, DIY electrical work.

Read more about the NSW Electrical Safety Campaign.