Following the Governments recent announcement regarding the Coronavirus lockdown, the construction and manufacturing industry are encouraged to start operating again as long as they can provide and maintain social distancing and good hygiene.

Some of our clients have been in touch with us ahead of them returning to their workplace to make sure their building is ready for their return so whether that be relamping, carrying out remedial works following recent electrical testing or making sure they are still compliant with their buildings safety testing.

Where to start? – One area we really want clients to think about prior to their return, whether thats as soon as this week or in the coming months, is their emergency lighting.

If your emergency lighting hasn’t been tested recently then it should be before the premises reopens and staff return to an operational building. This then ensures the batteries are charged and all the emergency luminaries are going to work in an emergency as they will be how your staff will be able to evacuate safely from the building.

It’s important to remember that emergency lighting in a building also assists the emergency services such as The Fire Brigade to enter, carry out their important work and leave the building safely also.

Emergency Lighting Testing  – We are still able to go in and test your emergency lighting in your business premises even if you are not there as it is classed as essential maintenance. We just need access to be given and social distancing to be adhered to for the sake of our electricians and any staff that may be on site.

How can we help? – If you want to discuss if your building is ready prior to returning then why not get in touch with us. We can assist any businesses in St. Albans and surrounding areas not just the manufacturing and Construction industry, so please let us know if we can be of any assistance.

For now we hope everyone continues to stay safe!

You may have noticed Fulcher Edwards like to remind you guys each week to Test It Tuesday aka #TestItTuesday via our Twitter, Facebook and our Instagram page. We do this EVERY Tuesday!

The reason we do this life can get in the way and its very easy to forget to test your smoke alarm and it could save your life.

We know with everything going on right now with Coronavirus is taking up a lot of our attention and rightly so, its a scary unusual time for us all. However, as most of us our working from home and schooling from home currently, its never been a better time to get into the habit of testing your smoke alarm each week.

Smoke alarms require very little maintenance but you want to know it will work should a fire break out at your property and you will only know if it will work effectively if it is tested regularly to make sure it’s working. A simple press of the test button on the alarm will show you instantly and could save lives.

If you don’t have any smoke alarms in your home or landlords property currently then why not get in touch and we can advise what you need, how many and where. All our electricians are Aico Approved Installers and can suggest the right ones for you. Quotations are free.

Though we are only carrying out essential works we can still provide you with quotations and discuss any requirements you may have

smoke detector of fire alarm in action, white background

. Just contact us via our website or give us a call on 01923 616985.

This weeks blog post is following on from last weeks which was all about electrical safety at Christmas.

I think we can all agree that it is the prettiest time of the year with all the lights and decorations everywhere. However electrical safety is rarely thought about during the festivities and there is some scary statistics with christmas decorations and fires.

The NICEIC have shared a very helpful factsheet on their website which we are sharing with you on our blog. Last week was about Christmas lights and this weeks post is about outdoor lighting.

Outdoor Lighting

• Only purchase/use outside Christmas lights that have been specifically designed to be used outside. Always check the manufacturers instructions.
• All outside sockets that are used must have RCD protection for safety. An RCD (Residual Current Device) works by switching off the flow of electricity when a cable or flex is cut.
• Any fixed or permanent outside lighting should be installed by a registered electrician to ensure it complies with the appropriate safety standards.

Decorations

Fire and rescue services across the country regularly issue warnings about the increased potential for house fires around Christmas time.

Dry Christmas trees, cards, decorations and all candles are all potential hazards which provide a means of fire to spread in the home.

Keep decorations and cards away from fires and other heat sources such as light fittings, sockets and charging equipment.

We hope that you find some of these safety tips helpful to ensure you and your family have a safe Christmas.

If you are looking for a register electrician in St. Albans or anywhere in Herts or London then Fulcher Edwards can ensure the electrical safety of your home before Christmas. Or even if you just need the advice of electrician then Fulcher Edwards would be more than happy to help. Just give us a call or use the Contact Us Form.

You can also search for a registered electrical contractor in St Albans by visiting niceic.com or the electricalsafetyregsiter.com and typing in your postcode.

Did you know the Fire Safety Order 2005 (FSO) requires all employers to ensure their staff have received adequate fire safety training? Employees should receive fire safety training during their workplace induction. It is also a requirement that a sufficient amount of staff are trained to carry out an effective evacuation in the event of a fire.

At Fulcher Edwards Ltd we offer a workplace fire training course to all businesses.  This course is ideal for nominated employees to act as fire wardens in their workplace. The two hour course covers both emergency and non-emergency aspects of the role. All attendees will come away with an appropriate level of knowledge to carry out this role safely and effectively.

The workplace fire training course is ideal for those appointed as fire wardens, or for those who are responsible for implementing and developing a fire evacuation procedure.

What Does The Course Cover?

Please see the course programme outlined below:

Aims & Objectives
Legal Obligations
Understanding Fire
Means of Escape
Fire Protection in the Workplace
Fire Routines, Powerpoint and DVD Presentation
Short Comfort
Break
Emergency Role of a Fire Warden
Non-emergency Role of a Fire Warden
The Emergency Plan
Fire Fighting Equipment
Practical Fire Equipment Demonstration
Q&A

As you can see from the course programme, the course is highly detailed and will provide a sufficient level of knowledge to all attendees. On completion of the course we will issue certification within 7 days of our visit.

We allow up to 15 attendees per 2 hour session. However, if you are a larger company we can conduct two sessions within the same day.

It is important to take fire safety seriously, as a fire can have serious and deadly consequences. Furthermore, if the ‘responsible person’ within your business doesnt follow fire safety regulations, they could be fined or imprisoned.

If you would like to find out further information with regards to our Workplace Fire Training Course in London, Hertfordshire and St Albans, please do not hesitate to contact us HERE.