Qualified electrical contractors can maintain and test a firm’s electrical systems to ensure they are operating efficiently, but they can also complete important installations onsite. While fire safety solutions can protect a company’s staff, customers and investment, a security system can keep unauthorised individuals off their property and give them an overview of all site activity. A new type of installation that is becoming increasingly popular is electrical charging points for battery-powered fleets.
Today, we’ll explore these three different kinds of electrical installations in detail, so you can see if your firm could benefit from one or more of these solutions.
1. Fire safety systems
While it is true that businesses are not bound by law to install smoke detectors and fire laws, they are legally obligated to conduct a full fire risk assessment of the various properties and premises where their operations take place. Typically, such an assessment will see some fire prevention devices required on site. While smaller properties may only need one to two smoke detectors fitted, larger locations will require a more complex set-up with multiple detection devices and a dedicated fire alarms system.
This is because a smoke detector will identify the presence of fumes and set off a local alarm in one specific area. This will effectively alert people onsite in a small building but in a larger site, some individuals may be out of earshot of the alarm. Failure to be informed of a fire onsite can be exceptionally dangerous and result in injury and loss of life. For this reason, bigger premises will use smoke detectors feeding back to a centralised alarm system, alerting all areas of a property that an incident has occurred so they can make a safe exit in good time.
Although smoke detectors can be powered by batteries, a common practice when these devices are used in domestic settings, this isn’t always the best course of action. Batteries can run out of power leading to ineffective devices that fail to raise an appropriate alarm. For optimum fire safety onsite, these devices should be installed by a certified electrician and be hardwired into the main electrical supply.
Fire alarms should also be fitted by a qualified electrical engineer to ensure they are installed to code and are operating effectively. Large sites can use multizone alarm systems that allow onsite staff to identify the location of an incident quickly from a central hub. Fire alarms systems can also be wired to inform local fire and rescue services, ensuing they can react swiftly and arrive onsite, saving lives, damage to an enterprise’s premises, and any stock and equipment kept onsite.
This can be an invaluable option, especially if a fire happens outside of operating hours like at the weekend when a site may be unstaffed with no one present to call the local brigade.
2. Security networks
Whether companies are operating a remote site or one based in a heavily populated urban area, there are numerous benefits they can gain from a security installation on site. The type of devices required to protect a premises may depend on many factors. The type of goods and equipment stored and used onsite, the sensitivity of data held on local severs, and whether or not cash deposits are retained in a safe can all be factors. The nature of the work a firm is involved in may also need to be safeguarded to keep it private.
Whether a company wants to protect itself from conventional crime like theft, vandalism and trespassing, or less obvious attacks like industrial espionage, closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV), and intruder alarms can offer strong support. They can act as a deterrent, scaring off criminals before any attempt is made to enter or cause harm to a property. If attackers are more persistent, CCTV can gather evidence while intruder alarms raise an alert.
Like fire prevention devices, intruder alarms can cover different zones and warn staff monitoring a central security hub when they are installed by a professional electrician. Alarms give onsite security staff time to respond to criminal trespass before it takes place, or contact the local police.
The cutting-edge CCTV cameras available today have multiple capabilities, including sirens and spotlights that scare intruders and full-colour night-vision that can provide high-resolution footage that helps police identify criminals and their vehicles, assisting in investigations and securing convictions.
Security installations can also feature wireless devices that can be deployed and redeployed as necessary to cover vulnerable areas or places requiring a swift increase in protection.
3. EV charging facilities
The UK government has outlined its intentions to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and it plans to stop production of vehicles powered by fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel. For this reason, many firms that operate a fleet or issue company cars are future-proofing their business by putting plans in place to go electric. Unlike conventional cars, vans, and trucks, electric vehicles (EVs) run using electric battery packs that can be recharged as required.
Businesses can trust qualified electricians to fit an electrical installation of multiple charge points on site where EVs can replenish their charge. While fleet vehicles are not being used, they can be charging, and staff members who have opted to use EVs can also power up their car during working hours.
Many forward-thinking companies are enjoying the benefits of these installations, which include reducing their carbon footprint, presenting a modern and eco-friendly image to their customers and clients, and attracting high-calibre staff looking for the perk of EV charging.
Experts in electrical installations
Whether companies require EV charge points fitted, or a security or fire safety installation put in place, they can rely on our fully qualified and trained engineers at BEST Electrical Contractors. Skilled at deploying the very latest equipment available for enterprises use, our electricians will make sure all devices installed are operating with optimum efficiency.
You might be running a factory or warehouse in the industrial sector or a commercial enterprise involving multiple sites, but either way you can get in touch today to plan out your required installation.
