p34 Safety:Layout 1 15/12/2020 19:07 Page 34 Safety Homeworking & electrical dangers
As the UK continues its lockdown, home working is an ongoing reality facing millions. However, the public is oſten unaware of the potential electrical safety hazards in their home-office setups, or how to ensure they safely accommodate the equipment they use every day. Images captured by the Cat S62 Pro thermal imaging camera smartphone reveal what the naked eye can't see, and Bullitt Group, the makers of the Cat S62 Pro, has partnered with Electrical Safety First to raise awareness of these risks and offer advice to make home working as safe as possible.
T
he images, captured in a home working environment, show the varying levels of heat invisible to the
naked eye that is produced by different electrical setups and devices. The images show common habits including charging laptops and phones on flammable surfaces; stacking equipment due to lack of space; daisy-chaining extension leads because you’ve got more to plug in than usual; overloaded sockets; routers covered with office materials/boxed in and extension cables covered with household items. Working from home is now commonplace but little thought is given to the set-up of our temporary work desks, many just working wherever there is space. New research commissioned by Bullitt Group, shows electrical safety checks by employers have dropped by nearly half (a decrease of 46%) since lockdown. The research, compiled by Censuswide using a 2,000 sample of people working at home due to COVID, also shows that 41% of home workers surveyed operate in cramped workspaces and things often get piled on top of extension units, and over a third don’t have enough plug sockets and have to daisy chain extension cables to get the length they need. There is a high level of complacency around
electrical safety with more than half (56%) of respondents saying they are not worried about electrical dangers and almost a third (30%) have never considered the dangers of working in some domestic spaces. 23% are sharing electrical
34 | electrical wholesalerJanuary 2021
sockets for work with other domestic items, and 21% do not have a dedicated workspace at home. “When the country first locked down,
homeworking was seen as a temporary situation. Now it’s looking more long term, it’s important that both employers and employees are fully aware of the risks and how to mitigate them,” said Nathan Vautier, CEO at Bullitt Group. “The thermal imaging technology built into the S62 Pro is a quick and simple way to see a world that’s invisible to the naked eye and can improve safety in any working environment. Tradesmen have used our thermal phones to spot electrical faults and issues for some years,
but this is also a genuinely useful tool for anyone who wants to improve safety and monitor what’s going on with electrical equipment in their homes,” continued Vautier. A spokesman for Electrical Safety First said:
“There is simply not enough awareness out there about the possible dangers of poorly set up home office environments. Thermal technology is certainly one way to monitor electrical equipment for overheating issues and the images that Cat phones have created here show very clearly just what is going on and highlight some of the common dangers we regularly warn people against.”
Working closely with Electrical Safety First, Bullitt Group has come up with some simple guidelines to make the home office environment safer. ●Avoid overloading sockets
●Do not leave phones or laptops plugged in to charge overnight and don’t charge on a bed, only on hard, flat, non-flammable surfaces
●Don’t ‘daisy chain’ extension leads. If your cable doesn’t reach, don’t plug it into another adaptor, move workspace closer to the socket or use a longer lead
●Regularly check electrical cords and extension cords for damage ●Only use extension cords on a temporary basis ●Do not run cords under rugs, carpets, doors, or windows ●Make sure cords do not become tripping hazards
●Keep papers and other potential combustibles at least 1m away from space heaters and other heat sources
●Make sure you use the right wattage for lamps / lighting
●Only use chargers provided with the product and buy any replacements from reputable retailers you know and trust
●Make sure your home has smoke alarms. Test them monthly and replace the unit every 10 years or as directed by the manufacturer
ewnews.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
