Electrical Safety in the Bathroom

Water carries electricity efficiently. When the two mix, the result can kill. Because of this, from an electrical safety point of view, the bathroom is possibly the most dangerous room in the home. The consequences of an electric shock are far more severe in a bathroom or shower room as wet skin reduces the body's resistance. There are special requirements for electrical installations in bathrooms.

Sockets:
Sockets are not allowed in bathrooms or shower rooms (apart from shaver-supply units), unless they can be fitted at least three metres from the bath or shower.
Shaver-supply units must be a safe distance from the bath or shower to avoid splashes.

Lights:
Enclosed ceiling lights are preferable to pendant (ones that hang down) light fittings. All light fittings, that are not enclosed, should be out of reach of someone using, or still wet from using, the bath or shower.
A ceiling-mounted pull-cord switch with the cord made of insulating material is the safest option for a bathroom. Standard wall-mounted light switches are a possible danger because of dampness and wet hands.

Heaters and towel rails:
Central heating is the safest way of keeping a bathroom warm. But, if you do have an electric room heater, it must be fixed at a safe distance from the bath or shower.
Electric and gas water heaters in a bathroom must be fixed and permanently wired, unless they are powered by a socket fitted three metres from a bath or shower.
Electric heaters should preferably be controlled by a pull cord or a switch outside the bathroom.

Showers:
An electric shower must be supplied on its own circuit direct from the consumer unit.
Don't
bring mains-powered portable appliances such as hairdryers, heaters or radios into a bathroom. You could be severely injured or die. You can get a fixed hairdryer with hot air delivered through a flexible plastic pipe installed in bathrooms.

For more information on safety in the home visit the Electrical Safety Council