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Home office

Keeping your home office safe

Working from home has become much more common, but it's important to ensure you aren’t exposed to risks that electricity can create while doing so. 

As remote working (often from home) and hybrid working (a mix of office and remote working) is now common, being aware of potential electrical hazards is increasingly important.

Working for several hours a day at home using laptops and mobiles means the batteries are going to run down regularly.

And many people work in a smaller space at home than they would in an office and often move around their home with a laptop.

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Don't get distracted

If other people are also working from home, or you have children coming home from school, it's easy to be distracted.

If you are cooking a meal, give it your full attention, don’t leave the hob unattended.

Charge your devices safely

  • Charge devices on a hard, flat surface, not on a bed, sofa, or other flammable surface. They can overheat and cause a fire that could take hold very quickly and have devastating consequences.
  • Use the correct charger provided by the manufacturer. Picking up one online might not be compatible and often contains substandard or counterfeit parts.
  • Don’t overload sockets by plugging in more devices in than necessary as it could cause overheating and even fire. Our socket calculator can help you check.
  • Don’t “daisy chain” (plugging one into another) your adaptors or extension leads as this can cause overheating and even fire. If your cables are too short to reach the socket-outlet, move your workstation and /or equipment closer to it instead.
  • Don’t leave your devices charging for longer than necessary.

Keep your workstation tidy

  • Keep drinks away from your devices as liquid and electricity don't mix.
  • Store cables neatly and out of the way to prevent tripping hazards.
  • Put your devices away when not using them.

ALWAYS

  • Charge devices on a hard, flat surface.
  • Use the correct charger designed by the manufacturer for the product.
  • Unplug chargers when you've finished using them.
  • Keep your "desk" tidy and clear of liquids.

AVOID

  • Charging electrical items on sofas or beds. They could overheat and catch fire.
  • Overloading sockets-outlets with multiple devices or extension leads.
  • Leaving your devices charging for longer than necessary.
  • "Daisy chaining" extension leads.

Stay safe with electrical products

Check plugs and sockets

Don't ignore burn marks, ‘arcing’ (buzzing or crackling) sounds, fuses blowing, circuit-breakers tripping, or if it feels hot to touch.

Unplug and contact the retailer, manufacturer, or a qualified repair technician. 

Protect with an RCD

An RCD (residual current device) in your consumer unit (fusebox) protects you from electric shocks if a product is faulty.

If you don’t have RCD protection, use an RCD plug on the socket where the product is plugged in.

Fit smoke and heat alarms

Ensure there is at least one smoke or heat alarm per floor in your property. Fit enough alarms to cover all areas where a fire could start.

Test alarms at least once a month. Replace them every ten years or when the replace by date is reached.

Selected FAQs

Answers to commonly-asked questions we receive about electrical safety.

View all our FAQs

There should be a minimum of one smoke alarm per floor with a heat detector in the kitchen. You should fit enough alarms to cover all areas where a fire could start. Make sure they are tested regularly - ideally every week.

It depends on its condition rather than its age, if it has been tested and is in good condition and everything is working effectively there is no requirement to rewire. However, you may wish to consider adding RCDs to enhance the safety of the installation.

A qualified electrician will say if your home needs rewiring and what can be achieved within a specific budget. 

You can find an electrician local to you here.

For privately rented properties, your landlord or letting agent should have given you a copy of an EICR carried out on your rental property, but also kept one for themselves, so you should be able to ask them for a duplicate.

For owner occupied properties, there may be a label in the fuse box / consumer unit that states when the last inspection and test was done.

If there isn't one present we would suggest arranging one with a registered electrician. 

You can find an electrician local to you here.

We recommend you don't bring home electrical products purchased from outside the UK.

However, an EU conversion plug could make some appliances safe for use in the UK:

  • Check if the type of conversion plug is suitable for use with the EU plug.
  • Follow manufacturer's instructions when fitting a conversion plug.
  • Remember, travel adaptors are not a suitable or safe alternative.
  • If the plug is not suitable for conversion, replace the appliance with a UK product.

If you have purchased an electrical product that you believe to be unsafe, you should contact the manufacturer to let them know of your concerns.

If they do not deal with this to your satisfaction, you should report the product to your local Trading Standards Office and they will be able to investigate further.

We recommend that you register all of your electrical appliances so that, in the event of a problem, the manufacturer can contact you to let you know about it. You can find out more here.

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Has your electrical product been recalled?

Electrical products are recalled more regularly than you might think, but the response rate to a recall is often worryingly low. This means there are potentially millions of recalled electrical items still in UK homes.

Check your appliances
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