Protecting employees and customers from safety hazards is the most important thing you can do as the owner of a commercial property. The National Fire Protection Association says electrical fires consistently rank among the top five causes of commercial building fires. As the owner, it’s up to you to ensure all precautions are in place from proper building codes to safety compliances and even electrical hazard checks. No stone should be left unturned for total peace of mind.
With the amount of equipment and electronics likely powering the building and running at all given hours, it’s especially important that a focus be put on safety measures. Since electricity consumption is high and because there are many risks involved all maintenance and service work for electrical should be done by a qualified contractor who knows the right steps to take to protect the building and the public.
This is a quick run-down of electrical safety musts for any commercial property.
Regular Site Inspections
It is important to conduct regular walk-around inspections of the property to look for any warning signs that a problem could occur. Look for things like outdated equipment or appliances, when poorly maintained and aging, they could pose a risk of failing or malfunctioning.
While inspecting, look for bad wiring, torn cords, broken switches, loose plugs and other problems that can be immediately replaced.
Understand Compliance Requirements
Each industry will have a specific set of compliance requirements to adhere to – from OSHA to industry regulators and insurance companies – it’s important to know what rules your building needs to follow to ensure you’ve met all of these requirements. Dangers include electrocution from exposed wires, light bulb dangers and poor placement of wires themselves. The fines are hefty and risk for a total loss is far too great.
Offer Ongoing Training
To ensure that electrical risks don’t go ignored, it’s important that everyone who frequents the building or comes in contact with the electrical elements should have proper training in using equipment, protective gear and steps to take to prevent injury. To achieve this, ongoing training is a must.
Keep harm away and follow all the safety steps when it comes to electrical work at your commercial property. Need help or have questions? Call L-Train Electric today! We offer a wide range of power solutions to homes and businesses throughout Connecticut from generators to lighting installations, wiring upgrades, circuit breaker replacements and more!
