With Halloween just around the corner, office buildings, skyscrapers, and residential spaces are getting ready to hang up ghosts, vampires, zombies, and maybe even a skeleton in their company uniform, and plan some scary and fun office parties! So this is an excellent time to discuss Halloween electrical needs for both communities and companies.
Unfortunately, Halloween parties also present some strong risks, from electrical fires as a result of confetti and other decorative bits and pieces making their way into sockets and extensions, to the increased load on your electrical systems. So as the party season draws closer, Skyline Electric would like to remind communities and companies to stay safe during this time and exercise extreme caution before and during the big night.
Safe Decorating Tips for Communities & Companies
You need to note that company and community requirements are quite extensive. It’s not just about lighting up a few pumpkins or spooky lights, but the whole office building, street lights, roads, and more. The most important tip that we can give you is to assign a safety officer for the night before and the big night itself.
Safety officers are responsible for ensuring all electrical systems are working properly, nothing is overheating, and there is no risk of electrical failure or fire. Instruct the officer about safety procedures and course of action in case anything goes wrong.
Other safety tips for Halloween parties include:
- Check the weather forecast and inspect transformers. Retrofit any equipment accordingly.
- Avoid using open flames as much as possible. Authentic Jack O’ Lanterns are often used inside buildings, which can lead to fire or tripping fire alarms.
- Avoid using candles, where possible.
- Keep the action as far from the substations as possible.
- Get the community and company electrical system stress tested. Usually, these systems are fairly extensive, and testing them properly with traditional methods may take quite a while. If you are short on time, we recommend going with the infrared stress test.
- Avoid blasting confetti or powder bombs near heat sources. They can catch fire pretty easily.
- All decorative lights MUST go through a breaker or ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Just because one is too far off doesn’t mean you can install them in parallel. It might take a while and require a bigger spool of wire, but it will be worth the investment as it could save lives.
- Keep footpaths and porches free of electrical debris, such as decorations and wires.
- Make sure all the landscaping sprinkler systems are turned off, but not the fire suppressant ones. If the party is inside, make sure you don’t use anything flammable or combustible inside.
The safety officer on-site should regularly check the wires’ temperature and monitor the situation closely, especially when the party is at its highest. Skyscrapers should also make a point of avoiding decorating upper floors from the outside. Octobers are normally windy, and there is a risk of these decorations flying away, exposing connections.
We recommend giving Skyline Electric a call so that we can inspect your community’s electrical system or your building’s electrical system for any faults so you can avoid any mishaps during the party.
Happy Halloween!
