Home Office Safety

With the growth of telecommuting, more Americans are setting up shop at home and equipping their home offices with computers, fax machines, modems, and other office equipment. However, many homes - especially older ones - are not equipped for all these heavy-duty electronics. Look carefully around your home office for these hazards:

• Insufficient outlets. Do not resort to a tangle of extension cords to hook up your equipment. Use a safety-rated power strip or a surge suppressor to connect and protect your computer, fax machine, copier, and printer.
• Ungrounded outlets. Many older homes may not have three-prong outlets to ensure your equipment is safely grounded. Make sure to have an electrician come in and install grounded outlets where needed. Do not cut off the third prong to make the plug fit!
• Do not overload the circuits. Check your breaker or fuse box to determine which outlets are on the same circuit. Be sure all the equipment you have on a single circuit draws no more than 1,500 watts.
• In a lightning storm, unplug your computer directly from the wall outlet. Also, unplug and unhook your modem.
• If you lose power while working on your computer, turn the computer off. When the power comes back on, a voltage spike could damage your equipment.