Why is fire safety important in your outdoor home office?
We live in a time when remote working is on the rise and having a dedicated working space at home is more important than ever. The working space available may be the corner of the spare room or the kitchen table, but extended periods can lead to discomfort and the risk of future health issues. It may also be difficult to concentrate on work with family life happening in the background.
During 2022, the adoption of hybrid working saw an increase (the proportion of workers working at home and at their usual place of work (“hybrid working”) had been rising), while the proportion of those working from home exclusively fell.
‘Around one in seven working adults (14%) worked from home exclusively between the 27th of April and the 8th of May 2022, while nearly a quarter (24%) both worked from home and travelled to work.’ – Is hybrid working here to stay?, ons.gov.uk
Therefore, more and more of us are utilising the space we have available in the garden, or our existing outbuildings to create a dedicated home office – a place where we can leave the home to go to our place of work, limiting domestic distractions.
Working within the fire industry as a Regional Specification Manager for Aico, I am very aware of fire risks and wanted my home office to have adequate fire detection. I decided to install the Aico Ei660iRF, the Ei660iRF is a battery-powered, RadioLINK+ Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm containing two proven, reliable sensors – Optical and Heat. The intelligent alarm software actively monitors both sensors, allowing them to work together and provide total fire coverage.
The Ei660iRF was easy to install as it doesn’t require mains electricity – I utilised the RF facility and interlinked the Aico smoke and heat detectors in my house to the new Ei660iRF in my home office. This will ensure if any detector in the system triggers – all the alarms will sound as per British Standard BS 5839-6:2019+A1:2020 recommendations.
Home offices often contain a lot of electrical appliances, such as laptops, monitors, and electric heaters. These appliances can pose a fire risk if they’re not properly maintained or used correctly, with 15% of accidental house fires in 2021/22 caused by faulty appliances and leads – Cause of fire, gov.uk
Creating a safe and productive home office is important, especially if you’re going to be spending a lot of time there. To find the right alarm for you, please visit – www.aico.co.uk/homeowner/product-selector/
