Most of us wish we had the option to work from home in London and Hertfordshire from time to time, well I do anyway. The thought of being able to roll out of bed a little later, to have a leisurely breakfast, hey maybe cook myself some scrambled eggs on toast and then casually turn on my laptop in my PJ’s, all in the privacy of my own home sounds oh so great to me!

For those of you that do have that privilege of working at home, the team at Fulcher Edwards, your local, reliable and trustworthy Electricians in London and Hertfordshire, wondered how many homeworkers with electrical equipment provided by there employers, have some type of electrical maintenance in place or if there just left to get on with things? You know the ‘well it works’ attitude that some companies tend to suffer with unfortunately.

Although the home is the responsibility of the homeworker, they are only actually responsible for their own equipment which is purchased by themselves.

Employers should have steps in place like the ones below which are recommended by the HSE to keep their homeworkers safe and prevent harm or injury:

1) Check that plugs are not damaged
2) Check the domestic electrical systems are adequate for electrical equipment
3) Check plugs are correctly wired and maintained
4) Check that the outer covering of the cable or wire is gripped where it enters the plug or the equipment
5) Check that the outer corner of the equipment is not damaged, for example look for loose parts or screws
6) Check leads, wires or cables for damage to the outer covering
7) Check for burn marks or staining that suggests overheating
8) Repair electrical equipment that may cause harm or injury to the homeworker
9) Check that there are no trailing wires; if there are, tuck them out of the way,
for example under a desk or table to prevent accidents

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) places duties on employers, self-employed people and employees. Under this law employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees, this also includes homeworkers. The safe use of electricity at work is covered by the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989.

Although homeworkers have a slightly different set up, their safety is equally as important as workers in an office environment and electrical maintenance needs to be in place regarding their equipment such as portable appliance testing. The type of maintenance procedures employers have in place will depend on whether hazards are low or high risk.

If you work from home then why not speak with your employer about what procedures are in place? As maintaining your electrical equipment is important for a number of reasons, mainly to avoid electrical faults as they can cause a fire.

If you are a homeworker in London or Hertfordshire, as professional electricians in London and Hertfordshire, we would love to hear what electrical safety procedures your employer has in place?

Give us a call now on: 020 7922 1101 / 01923 616985 or send us a message HERE