Electricity is nothing short of a modern miracle, but the problem is people often take it for granted. If you don’t use electricity properly, and with the proper care, it poses a real threat. Among other dangers, electricity is a major cause of fires. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are aiming to cut electrical fires with the new NFPA 1, Fire Code. What are the new electrical safety requirements, and how can you follow it?

NFPA 1: Balancing the Fire and Life Safety Ecosystem

The NFPA 1 is a fire code that’s currently adopted in 19 states, and outlines minimum requirements for building construction, operation and maintenance, fire department access, and hazardous materials in buildings. These are all in place to minimize the risk of fire in any building.

Having these codes in place allows those in charge of erecting and maintaining buildings to have guidelines to work from, when they’re looking to protect public safety. The NFPA 1 is also used in fire safety education, ensuring that everyone knows how to keep themselves and others safe from fire.

Why is Electrical Safety Important?

When it comes to the NFPA 1, ? In short, it’s because electrical fires are easily started, and can often be deadly. As our need for electricity grows, the higher the risk is of electrical fires.

For example, take the average office. There are so many times you’ve walked into a meeting room and seen extension leads plugged into each other in a daisy chain. This is usually because the meeting requires outlets where there aren’t any, and so the daisy chain is put in place to allow the meeting to happen. This looks innocuous, but it’s actually a huge fire hazard, and against the NFPA 1 Fire Code.

Any faulty electronic equipment can start fires, too. If you leave it plugged in, it can easily malfunction and cause a fire. That fire spreads in minutes, and can totally destroy a building. In fact, it even accounts for around 440 deaths per year according to the NFPA. That’s why it’s so essential to follow the fire code, and keep yourself and everyone around you safe.

Office Electrical Safety and Fire Prevention

Your building manager should be working to ensure your building is up to code, and reducing the risk of fires. Here’s how everyone in your building can avoid electrical fires.

• Avoid daisy chaining: Plugging multiple extension leads together is a recipe for an electrical fire. Doing this overloads the power strip, and leads to fires. However, it’s often done as office workers don’t have access to power outlets where they need them. The first thing to do is to ban the practice in your office. In the short term it will make things more difficult, but it needs to be done to protect the office. Look into having more outlets installed in the places they’re needed most, and this should stop the problem from appearing again. You can also move furniture, such as desks, around in order to meet outlets more comfortably.
• Carry out risk assessments frequently: Your workplace should be assessed at regular intervals, to ensure that it’s safe from fire hazards. This will include checking fire extinguishers, ensuring fire exits are clear, and so on. It should also include checking for risk of electrical fire. If you look out for these risks, it’ll be easier to address them.
• Don’t leave electrical items on overnight: Many businesses have a habit of leaving on electrical items, such as PCs, on overnight. This often happens as it’s easier and quicker top boot them up in the morning and get to work. As easy as it is, it also invites the risk of electrical fires. These items can overheat during the night, leading to a fire occurring. Power down everything at the end of the day to stop this from happening.

Home Electrical Safety and Fire Prevention

You also need to ensure that your home is safe from electrical fires, especially if you live in an apartment building, or other shared building. By stopping these fires from happening, you’re keeping your own family, as well as others near you, safe.

DIY Wiring Dangers

When working on your home, it’s tempting to do some things yourself to save money. There are lots of things you can do, but wiring should not be one of them. It’s a specialised job, and it can easily go wrong in the hands of a DIY enthusiast. It can lead to something called an arc fault, which will lead to an incredible amount of heat and eventually, a fire. Instead, if you need help with the wiring, call a licensed electrician.

Lighting Safety

Your lighting fixtures can also cause electrical fires if they’re not taken care of. When installing a new bulb, ensure it’s the right wattage for the fixture. Also, ensure that no combustible materials, such as blankets or drapes, can come into contact with hot bulbs which can then catch fire.

Cables, Outlets and Plug Safety

Placing furniture around a room is dictated around where the plug sockets are. When planning a room, think about where your cables are going to do. Ensure that they’re not running across doorways and other high traffic areas, and also ensure they’re not under carpets and bedding. These can all cause them to overheat and catch fire.

Much like in offices, you’ll find that there just aren’t enough outlets in certain places. If you need more power in a room, it’s a much better idea to have new outlets installed. Using a power strip can lead to the outlet being overloaded.

It’s vital that you follow NFPA 1, as it gives you the guidelines for reducing the risk of fire wherever you are. Electrical fires are common, as it’s so easy to make a mistake, but they don’t have to be. Use these tips to reduce the risk, and bring your office or home up to code.