Safety is absolutely vital when it comes to commercial architecture. You must ensure buildings are safe for everyone, including people who work in them and visitors. There are many different issues that deserve attention. The one we want to look at today is electrical fires. Businesses that use a lot of electrical equipment need to be especially careful.
Wiring
A major cause of risks is the wiring. This is most likely in older buildings because they may date back to when standards weren’t as stringent. The wires and components like fuses may be a lower quality. Plus, they might have a lot of wear and tear now.
The best thing to do is get a check of the wiring in older buildings. An update may be necessary to ensure it meets modern standards. You may also want to replace or upgrade key safety components.
If you are designing a new building, you should ensure the wiring is safe from the outset. Choose high quality products with fantastic safety ratings. Plus, speak to the architect to ensure they can help with designing a safe route for the wires in any piece of commercial architecture.
Overloading
Extension leads are a common sight in commercial buildings. They can be necessary to allow people to utilise all their electricals. However, it is a dangerous practice. You can easily exceed the amp limit of a socket. It can happen either because you use too many devices or the ones you use pull a lot of power. This generates heat and can result in a fire.
The easiest way to avoid this is to ensure there are enough sockets. It is better to have too many than not enough. Plus, you should ensure you check the limit of each socket and avoid exceeding it. It’s a good idea to talk to your architect when you design a building to make sure there will be enough sockets in key locations.
Lighting
A surprising number of fires occur because of lighting in commercial architecture. Traditional lights tend to generate heat. By itself it won’t cause issues, but if you have flammable materials nearby a fire can occur.
There are some crucial things you can do here to minimise the risk. Firstly, you can make sure there are no flammable materials near lights. Secondly, you can invest in LED lighting. It is more efficient and does not generate anywhere near as much heat.
Servicing
Finally, all businesses should keep in mind that they have a responsibility to look after electrical equipment. All electricals should be checked regularly, including PAT testing. There should also be frequent servicing and cleaning to make sure everything is safe. This can also help improve performance and reduce energy bills.
Talk to us about commercial architecture
Coffey Architects understands everything that goes into creating great commercial buildings. They need to look fantastic and serve the needs of the users. At the same time, it is vital that they are safe and energy efficient. We can achieve all of these things for any kind of client.
So, if you are thinking about commercial architecture and want to ensure you don’t have issues with electrical fires and other risks, speak to us. We’ll create the perfect design for you.