Electrical safety in offices

We ask that staff and students act responsibly with electrical equipment in offices and communal areas:

• Don’t overload sockets or ‘daisy chain’ power extension blocks,
• Don’t run trailing electrical cables where people may trip over them,
• Check for signs of damage (especially frayed/exposed cables) before using equipment.

Although you are permitted to bring your own electrical equipment in to the department (phone chargers for example), we ask you to be wary of cheap electrical equipment bought online; often it does not meet UK safety standards.

All UCL mains powered electrical equipment must be checked periodically to ensure it is electrically safe. This is done either by performing a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) or a visual inspection. Unless it is a brand-new item (that is still under manufacturer warranty) any mains powered equipment that you are provided should have an in-date PAT or have had a visual inspection- usually the record will be a sticker or mark on the item. If you suspect that your equipment may be out of test, please report this to defects@ee.ucl.ac.uk.

Please note, all department office IT equipment is generally replaced after the warranty has expired, so will not have a PAT record.