Happy holidays from the team at Jim’s Test & Tag! Our present for you this year is the gift of electrical safety. Even though work is winding up for the year, we always need to be alert when it comes to safety. Check out our guide to Christmas electrical safety and stay safe over this festive season.
Christmas Light Safety
If you’re decorating your office or workspace, you always need to be mindful of potential hazards. Make sure you pay close attention to the following points:
- If you’re using old Christmas lights, make sure they are tested and tagged before use. Check the government product recalls online to ensure they haven’t been part of a product recall.
- When you’re putting up your lights, make sure the power is off. The same rule applies if you’re changing a bulb.
- Only use indoor lights inside and outdoor lights outside.
- Make sure your residual current device has been tested before you plug in any lights.
- Get your smoke alarms tested in case of a Christmas light related fire.
Extension Cords & Power Boards
With all these extra lights and decorations plugged in as well as your office equipment, it is easy to overwhelm your electrical circuits. As a part of your Christmas electrical safety checklist, pay close attention to our advice for extension cords and power boards:
- don’t use double adaptors
- don’t plug high wattage appliances into power boards (for example, fans). It is much safer to plug them directly into the wall
- buy power boards with overload protection
- check your equipment for signs of damage
- regularly clean your equipment
- make sure extension leads are out of the way to avoid tripping
- do not place extension leads under rugs or carpet to avoid overheating.
Product Recalls
Are you running a Kris Kringle in your office this year? If you’re buying electronics, make sure you check out the latest product recalls and avoid dangerous gift giving. This is one of the easiest safe Christmas tips to follow. Just jump on the Product Safety Australia website and browse through the latest recalls. If you want to search for a specific product, you can – or if you want to search for a specific hazard (like an electrical shock) you can do that too.
Test Portable Appliances
Whether it’s a speaker that you’re using to blast Christmas carols or cooking equipment for the office Christmas party, you need to make sure it is safe to use. Regular testing and tagging will minimise the chance of an electrical accident in your workplace. Make a visit from Jim’s Test & Tag part of your Christmas electrical safety regime at work.
Christmas Tree Safety
Unfortunately, those twinkling lights on your Christmas tree can create a bit of a fire hazard. To avoid a nasty accident, never leave the lights on when you’re not in the building. There are a couple of other things you can do to fireproof your tree:
- if your tree is alive, water it regularly to make it less flammable
- spray your tree with fire retardant
- buy a fire safe Christmas tree
- Make sure your tree isn’t too close to power points or power distribution equipment.
Have a Wonderful Holiday
Now that you’ve read our Christmas electrical safety tips, we’d like to wish you a very safe and happy Christmas period. Thank you to all of our fantastic franchisees, their families, and clients for working with us this year. Remember to stay safe over your break and get in touch with us in the new year for more electrical safety advice.
