As a business owner, maintaining electrical safety for your staff, visitors and suppliers falls within your remit, but it can sometimes be confusing as to best practice and how to implement it.
To make life simpler, we’ve created the following checklist of our top ten tips for electrical safety within the workplace.
1 Stay dry
It’s a well-known fact that electricity and water don’t mix, so make a habit of keeping liquids of any sort well away from any electrical installation. If you or your staff are handling any electrical equipment, ensure your hands are completely dry before doing so.
2 Remove plugs correctly
Plugs are the nerve centre of all equipment, so they need to be treated with respect at all times. Avoid the temptation to remove them from sockets by the lead as that will certainly weaken them, shorten their life and, potentially, lead to an electric shock.
3 Keep your cords tidy
Careful cord management is a simple way of reducing the risk of accidents, removing trip hazards and preventing any pets that might spend the day in the office from chewing them.
4 Know your fuseboard location
It’s worth knowing where your fuseboard is located so that in the event of an emergency or loss of power you can show the responsible person where it is.
5 Look out for overhead cables
In the unlikely event that you need to work at height or climb a ladder for maintenance purposes, be sure to check for overhead cables to minimise the risk of accident and/or injury.
6 Make your building kid safe
Clearly, your office, warehouse or factory is a place of work, but there may be instances where young children are in the building. We recommend ensuring that they are closely attended to.
7 Stay flicker free
If any of your lights begin to flicker, it could be a sign that there’s a problem with a loose connection. Alternatively, it could simply be an issue with a faulty bulb that’s easily replaced. Either way, don’t delay in fixing it.
8 Update your signage
It’s advisable to warn anyone using your commercial premises of any potential electrical hazards, especially regarding high voltage. As the old adage maintains, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
9 Use a qualified professional
However tempting it might be to try to fix issues yourself, we’d always advise engaging a qualified electrician to undertake any work. That way you’ll ensure that the work is carried out efficiently and to a high standard.
10 Ask for help
Electrical safety and installations can be something of a minefield, so should an issue arise – and especially one that you feel might place your staff at risk – always reach out and ask for help.
At MS Electrical we specialise in fixed wire testing and PAT testing in Cambridge. Simply call us on 01223 850301 or complete our enquiry form to request a no-obligation quotation.