The most common faults in offices and shops are overloaded or daisy-chained extension leads, RCDs tripping because too much IT equipment shares one circuit, damaged floor boxes and cables, failed emergency lights, and overloaded kitchenettes. Most are preventable. The safe first step: take any scorched, damaged or warm lead or socket out of use, then have the circuit checked. Planned inspection and maintenance stops most faults before they cause downtime.
What should I do right now if there's an electrical fault at work?
Make it safe first, then find the cause. Don't let staff keep resetting a breaker or using damaged equipment.
- Smoke, flames or sparks
- Evacuate using your fire procedure and call 999.
- Burning smell, scorching or a hot socket
- Switch off the circuit if safe, unplug, and keep it out of use.
- Water near sockets or a board
- Switch off the affected circuits at the board and keep people clear.
- A breaker that trips straight back
- Leave it off and get the circuit tested.
Why do overloaded extension leads cause problems?
Extension leads are a common cause of overheating and fire in offices. The risk comes from plugging too much into one socket, often through several leads.
A four-way lead has the same total rating as the socket it plugs into, and kettles, heaters and printers draw far more than a laptop. Daisy-chained leads, or leads coiled under desks and trapped by chairs, add heat and wear. If a desk needs one lead to feed another, it needs more sockets.
Why does the RCD keep tripping when all the computers are on?
Computers, monitors and printers each leak a small, normal amount of current to earth through their power supplies. One machine is harmless, but many on one RCD add up until it trips.
This often shows up when an office adds desks, and can look like a fault when nothing is broken. Design guidance is to keep the normal leakage on each RCD to a fraction of its rating. The usual fix is to spread equipment over more circuits, ideally each with its own RCBO, so one trip doesn't take the whole floor down.
A genuine fault can trip an RCD too, so a test is needed to tell the two apart. An electrician can measure the leakage on each circuit.
What other faults are common in offices and shops?
Most other faults come from wear, damage and use the installation was never designed for.
- Damaged floor boxes
- Broken lids, chair wheels over cables, and cables crushed or trapped.
- Failed emergency lights
- Batteries lose capacity over time, so lights may not last when needed.
- Lighting faults
- Flickering tubes, failed ballasts and old fittings with brittle wiring.
- Kitchenette overloads
- Kettle, microwave, toaster and coffee machine on one socket or adaptor.
- Water near electrics
- Roof leaks, air conditioning drips or mopping near floor boxes.
- Loose connections
- Warm or discoloured sockets and switches, especially on heavy loads.
What does the law say about electrical safety at work?
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require employers and the self-employed to keep electrical systems maintained, so far as reasonably practicable, to prevent danger. That covers the fixed wiring and the equipment plugged into it.
The regulations don't set fixed test dates. Instead, guidance recommends periodic inspection of the fixed wiring, recorded on an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). For offices and shops, a common recommendation is every 5 years, or when the occupier changes. Some premises need it more often, so check the date on your last report.
Emergency lighting has its own standard, BS 5266: a short monthly function test and a full-duration test once a year, recorded in a log. For portable appliances, the law asks for equipment to be kept safe, not for a set PAT test interval. How often to check depends on the type of equipment and how it is used.
What can I safely check myself?
Simple, regular visual checks catch a lot. Anything that means opening a fitting, socket or board is for an electrician.
- Walk the floor
- Look for damaged leads, cracked plugs, broken floor box lids and trapped cables.
- Feel for warmth
- A socket or plug that is warm to the touch needs checking.
- Count the leads
- Remove daisy-chained leads and note where more sockets are needed.
- Test emergency lights
- Do the monthly function test and record it.
- Press the RCD test buttons
- Out of hours, as everything on that RCD will switch off.
What will an electrician do?
An electrician works from the board outwards: which device tripped, what is on that circuit, then testing to find leakage, overloads or damaged cable. For IT trips, measuring the leakage on each circuit shows whether the answer is a repair or more circuits.
Typical fixes are new sockets or circuits, replacement floor boxes, and new emergency fittings or batteries. For businesses around Leicester, much of this can be planned for early mornings, evenings or weekends within our hours of 8am to 8pm. We price each job as one fixed price, usually after a survey visit, and nothing extra is done without your approval.
How can planned maintenance prevent downtime?
Most office faults give warning first. A simple plan finds them on your schedule, not in the middle of a working day.
- Keep the EICR in date
- And act on the C1, C2 and FI codes it records.
- Plan for growth
- Add circuits before adding desks, not after the trips start.
- Keep emergency lighting logs
- Monthly and annual tests, with failed units replaced promptly.
- Upgrade old lighting
- Fluorescent tubes are being phased out; LED cuts faults and energy use.
- Label the board
- So staff can isolate a circuit quickly and safely.
Questions
Who is responsible for electrical safety in a rented office or shop?
It depends on the lease. Often the landlord covers the building's fixed wiring and the tenant covers their own equipment and any wiring they added. Check your lease and agree responsibilities in writing.
Can my staff reset a tripped breaker?
Yes, once, if they know which circuit it is and nothing looks damaged. If it trips again, leave it off and call an electrician. Never hold, tape or wedge a breaker on.
How long does an EICR take for a small office or shop?
Often a few hours to a day for a small premises, depending on the number of circuits and access. Circuits are switched off one at a time, so it can usually be planned to keep disruption low.
Do I need an emergency lighting certificate?
Emergency lighting should be installed and maintained to BS 5266. Keep the installation certificate, the test log and records of any repairs. Your fire risk assessment should also cover emergency lighting.
What's the difference between an EICR and PAT testing?
An EICR inspects the fixed wiring: the board, circuits, sockets and lights. PAT testing checks portable equipment that plugs in, such as kettles, leads and computers. Both are part of keeping a workplace's electrics safe.