What’s hiding under your workers’ desks?
Where did that come from? With fewer managers being present, offices partially closed down, etc. due to changes in normal working routines bought on by the pandemic, you may find that employees have taken it upon themselves to bring in electrical equipment from home. For example, a heater or a fan may have been introduced that you are unaware of due to staff managing their own thermal comfort.
Don’t ignore it. If this is the case you may find that your fire risk assessment has been compromised. Tip. Formalise what your staff are allowed to bring in without informing you, e.g. mobile phone chargers, small radios, clocks, etc. All of these are low-risk equipment. However, we’d advise you prohibit electrical heaters, fans, kettles, sandwich toasters, etc.
What about PAT testing? You don’t need to test every item, especially personal possessions, but adopt a sensible approach and only test equipment that you have concerns about. Tip. If you think a product brought in by your staff appears to have seen better days, simply tell them to take it home.
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