How do you solve a problem like retail maintenance?

Managing a shop requires so much more than organising staff and selling to clients. Today’s health and safety regulations means that store manager must muddle through this complicated maze of requirements or face penalties and fines. A comprehensive retail maintenance plan can combine monthly and annual checks that ensure the safety of both staff and customer.

As a company, we are heavily involved in ensuring that brands are on top of these checks and paperwork, as many of them have yearly external audits. For shops located within a shopping centre or department stores such as Harrods; additional rules and regulations apply. It is crucial for brands to promote a positive health and safety culture, ensuring that all employers understand their responsibilities to their staff and customers.

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Emergency Lighting – What is it?

Emergency lighting is an essential requirement for all commercial and industrial environments and an installation that we all take for granted. In case of an emergency, this lighting can be the difference between life and death so it is essential that it is installed and maintainedcorrectly.

Following the tragic events this year, hundreds of residential tower blocks across England are being checked for fire safety flaws such as sprinkler system and emergency lighting. In the first month of a recent investigation, 71 tower blocks were suffering from a lack or deficiency of emergency lighting in stairwells or communal areas, which could hamper the escape of tenants. Never has there been so much pressure on the deliberations of specifiers, building owners and suppliers at the Emergency Lighting. It is more important than ever to ensure than your workplace has adequate and working lighting in case of an emergency situation. The correct positioning of exit signage and emergency lighting is essential to saving lives.

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Pat Testing Fact Or Fiction

Everybody is familiar with the green stickers covering plugs in offices and public places across the UK, New Zealand and Australia. With retailers such as Harrods and Selfridges requiring all electrical items to be tested before the installation of a pop up store, Opulous has never tested more in a year. PAT testing is an important part of any health & safety policy and essential to avoiding electrical incidents. This blog will help to bust the many myths and misunderstandings surrounding portable appliance testing – who should do it, how often, why it is done, and whether it is the law.

What is PAT testing?

Portable appliance testing is the term used to describe the examination, inspection and testing of electrical appliances and equipment to ensure they’re safe to be used. If it is electrical and has a plug on it, whether it is in regular use or not, then it must be maintained safely. Most electrical safety defects can be found by visual examination from a competent person, however internal defects can only be found by testing with a PAT test meter. A simple user check by the person using an appliance can be a very useful part of the appliance’s maintenance regime, ensuring that damaged to items can be reported, repaired or replaced. Although the green stickers are not essential, they make the job of identifying an item that have passed the testing easier, they also indicate when the next pat testing is due.

 

Should I PAT test every year?

The common myth is that portable appliance testing should be carried out annually. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition. Whilst, there is no regulation surrounding what needs to be done, by whom or how frequently, it is common places for insurance companies to set boundaries regarding this. For example, equipment that is used regularly should be tested more frequently. The type of equipment is another major factor in determining PAT testing frequency as hand held appliances are more likely to become damaged than those that are stationary. Class one appliances such as irons and kettles, carry the greatest risk of danger and should be tested more often.

 

Who should carry out PAT testing?

Whilst the visual inspection can be carried out by a competent member of staff in low risk environments. When undertaking a combined inspection and testing, a greater level of knowledge and experience is required. To carry out a portable appliance examination the electrician will need to have the correct equipment and understanding of how to carry out the testing correctly. In addition, they will need to be able to decipher the results, to ensure that the appliance has passed the testing.

 

What does Opulous offer?

Here at Opulous, PAT testing is one of the many services that we offer for retailers across London, our aim is to fit in around your stores schedule. Get in touch with our team to book an onsite visit.

LED, what a bright idea!

It’s 2017 and LED is affordable for all, with both financial and environmental gains there is no excuse.

It is easy to see the appeal of halogen bulbs, as they give off a warm, natural light and are cheap and easily available to buy. But against its more energy efficient younger cousin LED, the halogen is being slowly replaced across the retail world.

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Turning your residential dream into reality

As programmes like Grand Designs and Homes under the Hammer inspire people to renovate old properties and build their own, residential electricians have never been busier. The UK housing crisis means that those looking to buy are looking at alternative methods to capture their perfect property, keeping contractors on their toes with new requests and designs.

Our residential team is always working on new and exciting projects, meeting client requirements with the latest techniques and services. From smart lighting such as Rako to home sound systems such as Sonos, our team is on hand to guide home owners through their design.

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