We’ve all probably heard of the tragic case of Suhana Mohamad, who was electrocuted to death this weekend due to chatting on her smartphone while it was plugged in. This unfortunate event is a strike of extreme bad luck and what’s likely to be an unsafe charger.
Basically what happened was Suhana was making a call on her mobile while it was plugged into a socket, charging. This is relatively common practice, everyone does it, but it can be a particularly dangerous if you’re using uncertified, third party accessories.
Cheaper, third party (or dubiously sourced) accessories can seem like they’re a better alternative to the original item. When a charger is just a charger why should you pay more for the original, right? Because that cheap China-made piece of junk could cost you your life. The fact is, very often these third-party accessories do not meet the required safety standard set by authorities such as SIRIM. This is especially so in cheap third-party replacement batteries and chargers.
These accessories rarely have the appropriate protection mechanisms put in to ensure that they don’t suddenly explode or leak electricity. There’s very little stopping you from getting seriously hurt by electrical discharge or in a worst case scenario, a ruptured battery exploding in your face.
Always use certified, original chargers when charging up your devices. This incredibly tragic incident need not repeat itself just because you tried to save a few bucks.
