How to Remain Safe.
We appreciate that considering recent events, many of you have had to start working from home, potentially sharing space and the electrical sockets with multiple people from your household.
Through Sussex Facilities Management, our sister company MPAT Portable Appliance Testing undertakes PAT testing for many companies and their employees who are now mostly home workers, to ensure that their setup is safe. However, due to current guidance we are unable to offer this service. Instead, we would like to offer you some top tips to remain safe.
- If you are using extension leads, ensure none of these have more than 6 plugs in use at one time.
- Ensure that any extension lead has no more than 3kw total load – every appliance should have its kw/w usage shown on it – if this is not easy to find, it is best not to use kettles, bigger appliances, electrical hair appliances, heaters etc. on these extensions.
- It can be tempting to run an extension lead from another extension lead, when more sockets are needed, or where the first extension lead doesn’t quite reach where you would like it. This is never recommended (as per the 2 tips above) and we would suggest getting a longer extension lead for these temporary power needs.
- It is important not to have trailing cables on the floor; these are not only trip hazards, but by getting caught on them you can damage the internals or wiring and increase the chances of something going wrong
- Most importantly, check your cables! Before checking them, ensure that the appliances and sockets are switched off, visually check the cable, plug and appliance for any damage and if any of the inner cable or wires are visible, do not use it; it’s easier than you may think, to damage appliances to the point of being unsafe! If you have pets in the home, it is worth conducting checks more often, as we have seen many damaged cables as a result of pets.
If you are unsure your whether your work from home setup is safe, we can undertake a video review with you. If this is something that would be of interest please get in touch with us on office@sussexfacilities.co.uk or call 01444 812171
