Poor electrical installations create serious risks, from fires to equipment damage and personal injury. Common errors include using the wrong wire gauge, poor circuit protection, loose wiring, insufficient sockets or grounding, and neglected testing. Partnering with qualified, NICEIC-approved contractors will keep your commercial premises compliant and safe, with reliable electrical performance for your business.
In the commercial sector, electricity is used to power everything from HVAC systems to advanced industrial machinery. Because these systems are complex, unqualified installers or less experienced contractors can easily make mistakes during electrical installation and compromise on safety.
Poor electrical installations can lead to significant hazards, including electrical fires, equipment damage, and personal injury. As longstanding electrical contractors in the UK, we’ve seen it all. We understand the importance of avoiding common installation mistakes in your commercial space.
In this guide, we’re sharing a list of the eight most common electrical installation mistakes that can happen in your commercial business and how you can avoid them.
Using wires that are too small or thin for the load they carry can lead to overheating, which can spark fires.
Ask your contractor to follow NICEIC guidelines for calculating the right wire gauge according to the load before installing it. Oaktree Electrical’s electricians always check voltage ratings, current capacity, and potential environmental factors before choosing a cable.
Without circuit protection, your business may have to deal with tripped breakers, damaged appliances, or worse, electrical fires. Improperly sized MCBs, RCDs, or fuse boards can also lead commercial electrical installations to fail unexpectedly.
Installing protection properly is the simplest way to prevent the circuits from overloading. You can count on our electricians to follow BS 7671 wiring regulations and match the installed circuit protection to the load.
Loose wires can cause lights to flicker, and may even lead to sudden power failures and electrical arcing, a major fire hazard. Poorly connected terminals also trigger these risks.
Invest in professional-grade fixings and make sure your electricians double-check connections and use quality connectors and junction boxes to minimise any electrical risks.
Your business needs sockets to plug in devices and equipment. Poor electrical installation practices can leave you with too few sockets for the electrical appliances in use, which can cause the circuits to overload. Often, people add extension leads to bypass this issue, but this can only increase the risk of a fire.
Work with a professional electrical contractor who will strategically plan your electrical system layout with the right number and appropriate placement of sockets. This also ensures all users have easy access to charging sockets throughout your business’ space.
Grounding is the process of connecting an electrical circuit or device to the earth. This arrangement provides a safe path for faulty electrical currents to flow harmlessly into the ground.
Improper grounding can have devastating consequences, including electrical shocks, potentially causing serious injury or even death.
Work with trained and qualified electrical workers who follow the correct procedures and use the appropriate codes to ground all electrical systems.
Beyond just being an eyesore, unkempt and disorganised cables are also a trip hazard, increasing the risk of injury to users and damage to your business equipment.
Keep your cables organised and orderly using the best cable management techniques. Our cable management services include using trays or conduits and labelling solutions for easy identification and troubleshooting.
Ground faults are a leading cause of electrical shock and electrocution, and can happen when an electrical current takes a wrong path to the ground.
A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is a small but powerful device that constantly monitors the flow of electricity in a circuit and activates on detecting any irregularities.
Installing the correct quantity of GFCI can drastically reduce these chances of electric shock and electrocution, safeguarding your property and staff. These need to be installed in areas where water is present, including kitchens and food service areas, commercial bathrooms and locker rooms, laboratories, and operating theatres and hospital wards.
Electrical installations are not something that you install once and forget. They need regular inspections and maintenance to stay safe and reliable.
Don’t think of electrical installation inspection and testing as a mere box-ticking exercise. Hire professionals to make sure all work is carried out properly and in accordance with regulations. At Oaktree Electrical, we offer commercial electrical installation, as well as testing and maintenance services to keep your business running on consistently safe commercial electrical systems.
Whether you’re a startup or a large enterprise, your electrical systems power your on-premises operations. Installing your electrical systems correctly will keep your commercial setup operating safely and efficiently.
Oaktree Electrical offers compliant commercial installation services conducted by professionals, with experience across a range of retail and industrial environments. Our trained and accredited technicians are available to install all types of electrical systems, from installing LED lighting in industrial setups to upgrading distribution boards in retail establishments.
We also offer periodic testing and inspections of these systems through an electrical installation risk assessment against an agreed schedule, helping you avoid safety issues and expensive downtime that occur from poor electrical installation. Gain complete peace of mind with our electrical services for your commercial setup.Safeguard your business from electrical installation failures. Contact us today.
