27/03/2020
COVID-19 is rapidly changing the way we live and work every day, and telecommuting (working from home), is becoming the new reality for many of us.
Home based offices are considered a workplace under work health and safety laws so it’s important for workers and employers to work together to identify and minimise work health and safety risks at home.
You must consider the following to ensure your safety at home when using electrical equipment:
Check to see if you have a safety switch installed and that it is operational by pressing the test button before you initially start work from home and every three months thereafter
Check out how to see if you have a safety switch at https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safetyswitches/safety-switch-films
Carry out a visual inspection of all electrical equipment in your home office.
Check for cuts, nicks or exposed conductors on any cords.
Check equipment for visible damage (broken covers, overheating discolouration).
Either discard any damaged equipment or have it repaired by an appropriately licensed electrical worker. Do not attempt to repair faulty equipment yourself.
Ensure leads and power boards are placed where they will not get damaged by moving furniture, chairs, foot traffic or other activities.
To avoid overheating and fire risks, don’t place papers or other items against air vents of equipment or cover equipment such as power boards or power supplies.
Don’t cover or stack up equipment under charge (e.g. phones to laptops).
Don’t permit children to touch or play with electrical cords and make sure electrical cords are not dangling from benches or within your child’s reach.
Ensure power boards and outlets are not overloaded (e.g. don’t plug in several room heaters into one power board) and are not placed where they may be splashed with liquids.
Safety switches are often confused with circuit breakers and fuses, but they perform different tasks. Safety switches monitor the flow of electricity through a circuit and turn off the power in a fraction of a second if a leakage of current is detected. Safety switches provide personal protection ag...