Only 87 per cent of the 15,507 households that consume electricity supplied by the HCM City Power Corporation (EVNHCMC) safely use power, according to a recent survey by the company.

A fire breaks out at an electricity transformer in front of HCM City’s Opera House on December 12 last year. — VNS File Photo.

Under the Electricity Law, EVN is responsible for the management of the electrical system only outside consumers’ homes, according to Pham Quoc Bao, deputy general director of EVNHCMC.

EVNHCMC together with other relevant agencies inspected power use at nearly 42,000 points in residential and business facilities, and found many cases of unsafe use that could lead to blazes and explosions.

The violations mainly related to the portion of power cabled behind the electricity meters, such as unsafe connection with transmission lines, lack of protective casing for transmission lines and plugging several appliances into a single socket.

Following the survey last year EVNHCMC organised 319 campaigns to educate consumers in safe electricity use raise their awareness of preventing household electrical fires and explosions.

It also distributed nearly 800,000 handbooks on using power and over 115,000 handbooks on preventing and combating household electricity fires.

The company has incorporated consumers’ commitment to ensure safe use of electricity and prevent fires caused by household electricity use in over 330,000 contracts it has signed.

It targets reducing the number of electrical blazes and preventing fires and explosions in 2018.

It also seeks to prevent fires and explosions in its grid, including transformer stations, electrical equipment and cables and transmission lines.

To achieve these plans, EVNHCMC has co-ordinated with relevant agencies such as the fire brigade and the trade, construction and information and communications departments to conduct campaigns to instruct people in electrical safety.

This year the company will counsel over 20,000 consumers in electrical fire-prone areas in safe use of electricity.

It plans to upgrade unsafe transmission lines in poor areas and collaborate with apartment managements to inspect the lines at least twice a year.

VNS