Since the pandemic tens of thousands of people have taken up new initiatives around working from home, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that their homes are prepared for the switch from domestic to professional use.
An ONS study from March 2024 showed that 56 minutes each day was saved by working from home over the daily commute, making it easy to see why people opt for the kitchen table, spare bedroom or a garden outbuilding over the office. Combine that with the flexibility that home working provides from a personal and family perspective, and there are plenty of benefits.
A lot of businesses have adapted their contracts and policies to facilitate remote working as more and more take up the offer to work from home and, whilst employers have a duty of care to carry out basic risk assessments of home working spaces and provide employees with equipment, those workspaces are not necessarily safe from a fire safety perspective.
So, what can be done to ensure that everyone working from home is fire safe? Here are five top fire safety tips for anyone working from home, whether it’s once a week or on a more regular basis:
Install smoke alarms on each floor (or each building)
Many homeowners or residents will have fitted smoke alarms downstairs but may not have one upstairs as well. However, if you’re working in a bedroom or you’ve converted a spare room into a home office, a smoke alarm on each floor of the property is a must.
You should also have a smoke alarm if you’re using a garden office to work from. A common trend at the moment is to swap the traditional garden shed for a garden room or office where you can escape the noise and temptations in and around the home (like the television or daily chores) and work in a comfortable environment where you can focus and separate your personal and professional lives. Installing a smoke alarm in any outbuilding should also be high on the list of priorities to alert you as soon as possible of any fire event.
Check electrical appliances for wear or odours
Another basic but often overlooked home fire safety tip is to pay close attention to the condition of your electrical appliances. By this, we don’t mean scratches on the case of your laptop but look out for any signs of bare wires or odours coming from your devices.
Frayed cables should never be used, and smells emanating from your electrical devices should be dealt with as quickly and safely as possible by switching off the power supply before a fire starts.
Don’t overload your sockets
Plugging too many devices into a socket can have disastrous consequences. Every home is the same in the modern world – there are never enough sockets for the number of devices, but you should still avoid overloading at all costs.
One top tip is to use one plug per socket, while another is to use a multi-socket fused extension lead to utilise multiple devices from one power source as long as it is safe to do so (but never plug an extension lead into another.)
Signs of an overloaded socket include a smell of burning or black marks around the socket itself or flickering lights as the circuit struggles to distribute power evenly to the devices or appliances plugged into the socket.
Invest in fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment
Think of your home office like you would your actual office. You wouldn’t feel safe at work if there were no fire extinguishers or blankets around to fight or suppress fires, and the same should be true if you’re working from home.
An ABC powder extinguisher is a great option for home offices as it is capable of fighting three different types of fires (class A – flammable solids like paper and wood, class B – flammable liquids and class C – electrical).
Another option is a Lith-Ex extinguisher, which is specifically designed for Lithium-ion battery fires. Found in most laptops, tablets and smartphones (plus a whole host of other devices these days), Lithium-ion batteries represent a significant fire risk – especially with so many cheap, poor quality chargers and accessories available. To be prepared for a fire involving your expensive laptop, tablet or phone, these extinguishers are a must-have and are the only extinguishers capable of suppressing Lithium-ion battery fires.
In addition to fire extinguishers, you also have several other options in terms of fire safety equipment for your home office.
One such example is a fire blanket. Sleek, simple and easy to use, a fire blanket is a quick and easy way to suppress a small, manageable fire and secure your escape.
Plan your escape route
A final tip to improve fire safety for home offices is to make sure that you know your way out of the property in the event of a fire. It might sound straightforward that you’ll simply head for the nearest door when you work at home, but if that route is blocked, you should always have a plan B or even a plan C, just in case.
Make sure that any doors are free from clutter so that you can get out quickly, that windows are either unlocked or a key is in a memorable location, or that you have an escape ladder you can use to get out of the window and down to safety.
In summary
Just because you’re not working in a professional office environment, it doesn’t mean that you should think any differently when it comes to fire safety. Doing so puts your whole home at risk, and the effects of a fire at home can be disastrous and life-changing.
To find out more about our range of home fire safety products, get in touch with a member of the Firechief® team today, who will be happy to advise you on the most suitable equipment for your home office setup. Call us on 0330 999 0019 or email sales@firechiefglobal.com to find out more.
Disclaimer
The information contained within this blog is provided solely for general informational and educational purposes and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Before taking any actions based upon this information, we advise the reader to consult all relevant statutory or regulatory guidance and, where necessary, to consult a qualified fire or industry regulation professional. The use or reliance on any information contained herein is solely at the reader's risk.