Right now
Don't touch anyone still in contact with the power
If someone is stuck to an appliance or a cable, you can be hurt too. Turn the power off at the main switch first, if you can get to it safely, or unplug the appliance at the wall.
Call 111 if anyone's hurt, or there's smoke or fire
Get everyone out if there's fire. With a shock, don't wait to see whether the person feels better before calling.
Turn off the source
For an appliance, switch it off at the wall and unplug it if that's safe. For a power point, light or switch that's hot or smoking, turn off that circuit, or the main switch, at the board.
At the switchboard, keep your hands off
If the switchboard itself has burn marks, smells or is crackling, don't touch it. ENA says to contact your local lines company straight away.
Leave it off until it's checked
Don't reset the circuit or plug the appliance back in to see if it happens again. Get an electrician to find the cause first.
Power lines down or water involved
Stay at least 10 metres away from any fallen power line, treat it as live even if it looks dead, and call 111. If you see water near a power point, a switchboard or an appliance that's still on, keep clear and turn the power off at the main switch only if you can reach it without standing in water. Nothing that's been wet should be switched back on until a licensed electrician has checked it.
A tingle from a tap, shower or appliance
A tingle or mild shock from a metal tap, a shower mixer, a fridge door or a washing machine means current is getting somewhere it shouldn't. Sometimes it's a faulty appliance. Sometimes it's a problem with your home's earthing, which is the safety path that's meant to carry stray current away harmlessly.
Either way, treat it as a warning, not a curiosity. Stop using whatever gave the tingle, keep children away from it, and get an electrician to test it the same day. If you're renting, tell your landlord or property manager straight away, and put it in writing.
Burning smells: finding the source safely
Electrical burning often smells like hot plastic, and some people describe it as fishy. Follow your nose, but only with your eyes: look for a discoloured power point, a plug that's gone soft or brown, a light fitting that's darkened the ceiling, or an appliance that's hot.
If it's an appliance, unplug it and stop using it. If it's a power point, switch or light, turn that circuit off at the board and leave it. A faceplate that feels warm, a plug that's hard to pull out because it's hot, or a power point that crackles when you use it all point to a loose or overheating connection behind it.
If you can't find the source but the smell keeps coming back, turn off the main switch if it's safe to and get an electrician in. A thermal imaging check can sometimes find a hot spot that isn't visible.
After a shock, even a small one
If someone feels unwell after a shock, or has a burn from it, get medical advice. In an emergency, call 111.
Then deal with the cause. A shock means something failed: an appliance, a fitting, the earthing, or the absence of an RCD (a residual current device, the switch with a test button that cuts the power if current leaks). WorkSafe says new circuits for lighting and power points in homes must have RCD protection, but plenty of older homes have circuits without it.
What the electrician will do
They'll make the area safe first, then test the circuit, the earthing and any RCDs, and track down the fault. If an appliance is to blame, they'll tell you whether it's worth repairing. If a fitting has scorched, they'll replace it and check the cable behind it.
If your board has no RCDs, ask about adding them. They're the protection designed for exactly this kind of fault. In a rental, landlords and tenants can't do electrical work themselves unless they're registered and licensed, so the fix has to come from a licensed electrical worker.
What you can do, and what's licensed work
You can
- Turn the power off at the main switch, if it's safe to reach.
- Call 111 if someone's hurt or there's smoke or fire.
- Unplug a suspect appliance and stop using it.
- Keep everyone away from the source until it's checked.
- Tell your landlord straight away if you're renting.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Testing earthing, RCDs and the circuit that caused the shock.
- Replacing scorched or melted power points, switches and fittings.
- Checking anything that's been wet before it's switched back on.
- Adding RCD protection to circuits that don't have it.
If it were our house
We'd treat any tingle or burning smell as a same-day job, not something to keep an eye on. Power off to that circuit, the appliance unplugged, and an electrician who does fault finding booked for today. If the board has no RCDs, we'd have them added while the electrician's there. A shock that didn't hurt this time is a warning worth taking.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.