Electrical appliances have become increasingly modern, diverse, and familiar in daily life, yet they also harbor latent safety hazards that can easily trigger fires and explosions if overlooked during routine use. Bringing electrical safety knowledge to schools, households, and communities is the approach to ensuring vigilance progressively becomes an ingrained daily habit.

At Mường Pồn Secondary Ethnic Semi-Boarding School, 500 pupils participated in an electrical safety outreach session organized by Điện Biên Phủ Electricity. Through interactive questions, educational games, and practical scenarios, students explored ways to prevent electrical shocks, avoid electrical fires and explosions, and protect high-voltage grid safety corridors. Pupils were guided through first-aid techniques for electric shock victims and practiced directly on training mannequins. The session brought practical knowledge closer to the students through scenarios they might encounter in daily life.

Đinh Thị Trúc My, a 9th-grade student in class 9D1 at Mường Pồn Secondary Ethnic Semi-Boarding School, shared: “I found today’s outreach session deeply meaningful. I learned more about hazardous actions around electricity and how to avoid them. At home, I will share these lessons with my family, friends, and neighbors so everyone knows how to use electricity safely.”

Trần Văn Sỹ, Deputy Head of Điện Biên Phủ Electricity, stated: “Our objective is to help students recognize the hazards of using electricity at home and standing near high-voltage power lines, enabling them to understand prevention measures and practice safe, economical electrical use. When students grasp why a specific action can pose dangers, they will exercise voluntary caution. We hope the students will become young communicators, relaying what they learned to their parents, friends, and fellow villagers. Through such intimate reminders, electrical safety knowledge can reach far more households.”

Listening to her child recount the school lesson, Quàng Thị Hằng, from Mường Mươn village, Mường Pồn commune, shared: “Having been instructed on safe electrical practices, my child came home and reminded the entire family to pay closer attention to wiring and wall sockets when using electricity. I also inspected our home’s electrical wiring; wherever conditions seemed unsafe, I asked an electrician to repair them.”

In each household, fire and explosion hazards often lurk within things that have grown overly familiar. Through inspections, the Điện Biên Power Company uncovered substandard wiring and equipment, alongside electrical systems that had gone uninspected and unmaintained for long periods; certain localities had strung temporary lines to serve farming and livestock production. If temporary power lines are utilized over extended durations without inspections and reviews, they can easily turn into severe hazards in the event of an oversight.

Electricity consumption demands evolve over time; therefore, households, production facilities, and business establishments must routinely inspect wiring, sockets, and appliances, particularly when installing additional machinery. Hazards can also emerge outside the home - such as trees planted beneath conductors, temporary structures erected near grid corridors, felling timber, erecting buildings, or operating machinery near high-voltage lines.

Consequently, prior to executing such tasks, individuals must determine safety clearance distances, proactively inquire, and contact the local power unit when necessary. Regarding children, reminders must be given against flying kites, fishing, or approaching areas marked with warning signs. These modest precautions help curb accident risks for individuals and the wider community.

According to Phạm Văn Thu, Head of the Safety Department at the Điện Biên Power Company, since the beginning of the year, the unit has conducted face-to-face communications at 11 schools and 50 hamlets, villages, and residential quarters. Beyond group meetings, power company cadres provide guidance directly to households, production facilities, and business venues; disseminating contents over public address loudspeakers, mobile broadcasting units, and distributed leaflets. Such knowledge must be communicated through concrete scenarios so listeners can cross-reference with the sockets, wiring, and appliances currently operating in their own homes.

Outreach contents have been broadcast across the public address loudspeaker networks of 26 communes and wards. Furthermore, direct dialogues with power personnel help residents gain a clearer understanding of safe electrical usage. Alongside communication campaigns, the Điện Biên Power Company inspects electrical networks and prepares contingency incident response schemes. Notably, the unit recently coordinated with fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue police forces to conduct a drill responding to a transformer fire scenario at the 110kV Điện Biên Substation.

Electrical safety must become an integral part of everyday lifestyle. The power sector recommends: damaged wiring sections must be replaced, wall sockets must avoid overloading, and unused appliances must be switched off. When selecting electrical appliances, quality and operating instructions must receive equal consideration alongside immediate convenience. Indoor electrical systems require periodic inspections, particularly when aged or when numerous new devices are added. If abnormal signs are detected, residents must disconnect the power source and enlist qualified professionals for inspections, avoiding unauthorized wiring splices and impromptu repairs.

Electrical safety is safeguarded through well-timed decisions made right where electricity is consumed every day.