Every workplace requires top-notch electrical connectivity to keep the essential services going. However, this might turn out to be the reason behind unwanted situations like electrical fires and shocks. You must follow the workspace devoid of any potential cause of electrical trauma. According to a survey, around 22% of the total electrical fires emerge from office settings. The reason behind this could be plenty, ranging from defective wirings to faulty equipment. Every business owner should keep in mind to get regular electrical maintenance, as well as wiring repair, done. Not only will this prevent hazardous fires, but also keep the appliances & equipment working for a long time.
Keep reading to know the basic tips that might help in preventing fires caused due to electrical reasons.
1. Electrical Safety Equipment
One of the best ways to protect your office against electrical fires is by upgrading the safety equipment. There are a variety of instruments that protect short-circuits and keep the electrical voltages stable. Instead of buying extra fire-extinguishers, make it a point to install the up-to-date breakers and busways. Apart from this, you might also consider the contactors for additional security against arsons and fire hazards.
Modern Protective Equipment
- Breakers prevent the occurrence of short circuits up to a great extent. Along with this, it takes care of the over-leakage and earthing abnormalities. That way, any discrepancy in the grounding wires subside with the top-notch breaking mechanism.
- Busways protect against the damage-prone open wiring system traditionally installed in the workplace. Replace the conventional methods with the modern busway system and say no to constant wiring maintenance.
- Contactors are another electrical safety go-to tool that helps in better motor control and maintains an ecstatic machine efficiency. This is especially suitable for the lighting system and provides a one-stop solution to the high-voltage circuits flowing now and then.
2. Keep Defective Electrical Appliances Away
Faulty appliances are responsible for a significant number of electrical fires. This is because the old and worn out items heat up quickly and might turn out to cause havoc. Along with the appliances, other parts like switch, extension cord, as well as receptacles might contribute to this. In case you still have the old switches or power cords in use, it’s about time that you rethink the connections. Often, the worn-out cords heat up and cause fires into the nearby combustible items like curtains, couch, or even the floor.
For better electrical safety, you need to fetch some bulk wire and revamp the workplace’s electrical connections. This includes removing the old and damaged goods, refurbishing the switches, and removing the defective cords.
Preventive Measures
- Proper Attachment of Power Cords to a safe place with no movement or disturbance. Don’t put the cords under mats and rugs as these materials conduct electricity quickly. This might lead to severe electrocutions and lighting wounds.
- Never Take The Third Prong Out of the cord just to make it suitable for the two-prong outlet. This causes negligible grounding and creates hazardous situations as the voltage drops. Also, make sure that the third prong is properly earthed for better safety.
3. Revamp The Electrical Wiring
Like the IT devices and technology, you need to keep updating the electrical wiring of your workplace. A 10 to 15 years old wiring does not possess the capability to run the high-tech laptops, desktops, as well as air-conditioning. Hence, you must replace the connectivity at least once per five years for optimum functioning and prevention against electrical fires. Along with this, the defective and poorly installed wires might create potential workplace fires as well.
Consequences
- Constant Flickering or Dimming Lights might occur due to a faulty wiring issue. If the problem persists even after changing the lights, you must get another wiring done as this is one of the most common causes.
- Charred Outlets are yet another result of damaged workplace wiring. Any damaged wire connectivity radiates heat at the outlet’s end. This causes the outlet point to become extremely black or charred. If this happens in your office, make sure to reconsider the wiring.
- Chewed Wires occur due to an abundance of rodents, insects, and ignorance of an unskilled electrician. Also, such wiring is one common reason behind regular fires and starts with a burning smell in the office.
4. Plug Into GFCI
The ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is your savior from possible electrical hazards like electrocution, electrical fires, and whatnot. To keep your workplace fire-proof, you need to plug into the GFCI always. This comes with a three-prong plus and two labels, namely “reset” and “test,” which protects against electrical hazards. Make sure to upgrade the outlets and incorporate this circuit interrupter to transform the office into a safe one.
Benefits
- Electrical Shocks kept at bay with the new GFCI outlets. This is because the outlets contain sensors that are built to inspect the flow of electricity. As soon as the current takes a wrong path, the three-prong outlet diverts the path towards the ground.
- Electrical Leakage Fires that occur due to current leakage through the old wires with deteriorated insulation decreases to a great extent with GFCI features. This happens due to the ability of these electricity interrupters to stop any leakage of current.
- Adheres To Modern Electrical Codes and provides extensive benefits like the proper flow of current and instant grounding of diverted electricity. The emergence of GFCI decreased potential electrical hazards significantly.
5. Fire-Safety Employee Training
Electrical fires might occur even after top-notch care and regular workplace electrical maintenance. Hence, it becomes crucial for the staff to learn the necessary protocol and best measures that help in tackling these hazards. For such purposes, the business owners must provide either onsite or online safety training that highlights electrical safety, ladder safety, ergonomics, and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) compliances. That way, you don’t have to fear the inevitable fires and might as well handle the situation on your own.
Bottom Line
Disaster & Hazard Management is a skill that everybody must learn to keep the unwanted discrepancies at bay. Workplaces are highly prone to electrical fires and lighting injuries. This calls for proper electrical safety measures that every person in the workplace must follow. Apart from this, proper maintenance of the wiring and appliances is the prerequisite to a safe and sound professional environment. Get rid of the old electrical goods and revamp the wirings. Besides that, you need to adhere to the modern electrical codes and incorporate the GFCI outlets in the office. This makes the space less prone to short circuits, shocks, fires, and injuries.
