05 Oct 2012
A new survey has revealed the scale of the risk faced by companies as a result of staff members using personal electrical items at work without any safety checks.
Around 40% of employees admitted to bringing equipment such as heaters, hair straighteners, power tools and fairy lights into the workplace, in the survey of 2,000 people published by the insurance company RSA.
Over half (54%) said they had not had the items safety checked, although any equipment of this type is subject to the same regulations as those provided by the employer.
The director of the RSA’s risk management business, Gary Long, said: “These items are often side-stepping the recommended safety checks, exposing employees to potential fire hazards or personal injury such as burns and electric shocks.”
The poll revealed that a staggering 8% of those that used their own electrical equipment had seen it catch fire with 9% suffering an injury as a result. Most worrying of all for company bosses will be the 34% of injuries that resulted in a hospital trip.
Copyright Press Association 2012