December 17, 2013
A five-year-girl who received an electric shock at the Kingaroy Christmas Carnival is living proof of the value of safety switches.
The girl poked her finger into a live electrical socket while her father was changing lightbulbs near the family’s fairyfloss stall on Thursday night.
Fortunately Ergon Energy – a sponsor of the event – had erected “Lifeguard” equipment at the carnival or the outcome may have been a lot worse than the burn the girl suffered.
The rides and stalls, including the one operated by the girl’s father, were connected to power via this Lifeguard equipment.
“Due to the safety switch in this gear, the power supply was disconnected almost instantaneously when the girl stuck her thumb into the light fitting,” an Ergon Energy spokesman said.
“The timely warning to the broader community from this incident is the importance of having all Christmas lights protected by a safety switch and tested by a licensed electrical contractor before use.”
The girl’s mother noted on Facebook: “Thank God for miracles that we still have our baby girl here with us.”
