5 steps to ensure electrical safety in your home office

Living in times of a global pandemic means that the life we’re used to is changing; we need to give up some of our old habits and routines, in order to adapt to new regulations such as social distancing.

For many employees working from home has become the new norm. Some benefit from mobile workplace equipment that they can take home, some rely on their own devices. But regardless of what equipment is being used, home offices are considered a workplace under work health and safety laws, so it’s vital to check all electrical components to ensure you’re on the safe side.

1. Do you have a safety switch and is it working?

First up you need to check if your safety switch is working by pressing the test or ’T’ button at your switchboard. If the safety switch doesn’t flick, or if you don’t have a safety switch installed, definitely add this as a high priority to the top of your to do list, as this can be a huge safety risk for you and your family.

2. Check your equipment and cords for any signs of damage

If you come across any damaged, broken or overheating equipment, for safety reasons it’s best to have it repaired before you start using it. The damage might not seem that bad at first, but you surely don’t want to take the chance of the device failing when you’re in the middle of using it.

The same goes for cords that might have cuts, nicks or exposed conductors – play it safe and get a professional to fix it or have it replaced.

3. Prevent overheating

It’s normal that appliances get warm when they’re used. But it’s definitely not a good sign if they get hot. This is bad for the appliance and even worse; it can be a fire risk.

This is how you can prevent your electrical equipment from overheating:

• Don’t place items right in front of the air vents, as this will obstruct the air flow of the appliance and can cause it to overheat.
• Don’t cover power supplies with other equipment and
• don’t stack equipment that’s charging on top of each other.

4. Avoid an overload of your power boards and power points

There’s no problem with using a power board… if you’re doing it right. But plugging in too many appliances in one power board can exceed the maximum amperage of the power circuit and result in an overload. This can damage the appliances you have plugged in and could possibly lead to a fire. If you’re in need of more power points, simply get a licensed electrician to install more.

5. Keep electrical equipment out of reach from your kids

Many parents who are working from home at the moment are surrounded by their children for most of the day. We all know that it’s impossible to monitor the kids 24/7 while you’re trying to get some work done. So make sure there are no dangling cords and keep all power boards and other electrical equipment out of their reach.

If you need any assistance with the electrical set up of your home office, our qualified electricians are here to help you! Simply reach out to us by giving us a call on 1300 712 028 or fill out our booking form .