Risks of Working From Home

Working from home is often a new and exciting experience for many employees, but it also brings with it new responsibilities. There are a number of associated risks that are often overlooked or forgotten; risks that you wouldn’t usually consider when working normally because someone else is responsible.

Home working combines all the safety hazards you would find in your normal working environment but instead places them all in your own home. Our Home Working Fire Safety Kit provides a number of essentials for dealing with these risks, giving you piece of mind.

One risk is the increase in the use of electronic devices and wiring, which is a serious fire hazard. In a rush to start work, sockets can easily be overloaded providing an opportunity for fire to break out. Electrical fires are still one of the most common causes of fire in the UK so limiting the chance of ignition is crucial.

Where possible avoid keeping flammable materials, such as paper, near wires and plug sockets. Make sure that your electrical appliances are correctly looked after – do the wires look to be in good health with no damage to the sheathing? The 1kg Powder Extinguisher in this kit will tackle the common fire risks in your home office, including electrical fires.

Working flexible hours when home working is very common and you may find yourself working at night as a result of this. All business workplaces should be fitted with emergency lighting but it is unlikely that you will have this in your own home. The Safe T Light Portable Emergency Light is ideal for home use and will provide you with adequate light to safely evacuate your home in an emergency, should there be a power failure.

Although many people working from home will be office workers, this kit also serves those in the craft or catering industry. The St John Ambulance First Aid Kit is equipped to deal with the most common accidents in and around the home.

People working from home should be encouraged to review the risks and take the appropriate precautions to prevent fires and accidents from happening. Those precautions should include having the means to detect and manage a fire should one occur. In our Home Working Fire Safety Kit, we have also included an optical smoke alarm and a fire blanket to help you cover all the common risks found in the home.

To assist with protecting yourself, your family and your home, there a few simple steps that we would recommend:

  • Ensure you have the appropriate fire detection and protection methods for yourself and your home, should a fire break out.
  • Regularly check the health of your devices and their wiring. If any wires appear to be damaged, that device should not be used.
  • Ensure all electrical devices are turned off and unplugged when not in use to reduce the risk of fire.
  • Equip your home with a first aid kit, as injuries are often unexpected and immediate treatment is usually the best course of action.
  • Know how you would evacuate your home in the event of a fire and practice this with all members of the household.
Home Working Fire Safety Kit - Safelincs
Home Working Fire Safety Kit - Safelincs
  • Fire blanket included for emergency escape
  • Supplied with a portable powder extinguisher and emergency light
  • St John Ambulance first aid kit provides the essentials for minor injuries
  • Also supplied with an optical smoke alarm and CO alarm
  • Protect your home office / home working environment
£72.30 ex VAT
£86.76 inc VAT
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For more information about our product range or to place an order, call today on 0800 612 6537.

Connor Storr

PPC Specialist

Connor is one of our product administrators. He has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to fire and security safes and fire doors.

Latest Posts by Connor Storr

Risks of Working From Home6th April 2020

Fire Door Retainers Hold Fire Doors Open Hygienically

With concerns of the coronavirus being spread through contact with door handles and hand plates, many companies and health care settings are looking for solutions to hold fire doors open; reducing the need to touch door handles, without compromising fire safety.

Fire door retainers, such as Dorgard Original and Dorgard SmartSound, hold fire doors open legally and hygienically.

Dorgard Fire Door Retainers offer easy-to-install solutions that can be fitted to an existing fire door in around ten minutes by your own handyman, without the need to book an engineer to install. By fitting your fire doors with either the Dorgard Original or the upgraded version Dorgard SmartSound, you can hold fire doors open legally and eliminate the need to open the door using the handle once the Dorgard plunger has been depressed. This reduces the risk of germs and viruses spreading. The Dorgard will let the fire door close automatically when a fire alarm sounds, as the devices recognise the sound of a fire alarm.

For settings where at night time the doors should be closed, the Dorgard can be programmed to self-close at a specific time.

Call us today to speak with a customer service adviser on 0800 433 4289.

Angie Dewick-Eisele

Director

Angie Dewick-Eisele is co-founder of Safelincs Ltd, one of the leading fire safety providers in the UK. Angie was Marketing Manager for many years and as Director is these days responsible for Content Management.

Latest Posts by Angie Dewick-Eisele

Emergency Lighting Requirements1st August 2024
What to do if my Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off?19th March 2024
What is BAFE certification?28th March 2023

Safelincs supports Buses 4 Homeless

Buses 4 Homeless is a social enterprise that was set up by Dan Atkins with a mission to provide 14,600 nights of sleep a year for the homeless. This exciting project, offering a three-month rehabilitation programme to vulnerable homeless people, is run from four refurbished double-decker buses and aims to re-engage homeless people back into the community.

Dan contacted Safelincs to ask for advice about fire safety and when we heard about the project we decided to get involved and donate a state of the art Zerio Plus wireless fire detection system, fire extinguishers, and a fire escape ladder. Installing the equipment enabled the first guests to be welcomed onto the project just before Christmas. Dan Atkins said “I picked up the phone and called Safelincs, spoke about the project and what we are doing. Everyone at Safelincs has been so supportive”. Dan went on to say “it is humbling to have such support”.

The buses provide four very distinct areas for the guests including sleeping accommodation, dining, wellbeing, and education. Each individual has the opportunity to work on their own specific areas and issues that led them to become homeless, learn new skills and help them secure employment. The programme offers the opportunity of long term mentorship to underpin long term success. We wish Dan and his team every success.

Buses 4 Homeless fitted with Zerio Plus wireless alarm panel and water mist extinguishers

Angie Dewick-Eisele

Director

Angie Dewick-Eisele is co-founder of Safelincs Ltd, one of the leading fire safety providers in the UK. Angie was Marketing Manager for many years and as Director is these days responsible for Content Management.

Latest Posts by Angie Dewick-Eisele

Emergency Lighting Requirements1st August 2024
What to do if my Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off?19th March 2024
What is BAFE certification?28th March 2023

Double Awards for Safelincs

Safelincs receiving Employer of the Year 2019 East Lindsey Business Award

Safelincs Ltd have been named Employer of the Year and been given a second award for Excellence in Customer Service in the ELBA 2019 business awards. These two awards are testimony to the great team at Safelincs. Harry Dewick-Eisele, MD, said ‘We are incredibly proud of our team and these two awards are down to our great team work and ethical business practices’. He went on to say ‘we believe our success is in selecting the right staff from the start, giving them a comprehensive induction period and then involving them in all aspects of the business’.

 

Safelincs receiving Excellence in Customer Service 2019 East Lindsey Business Award

These two awards follow continued growth for the company, bucking the trend by growing 30% year on year for the last four years. Ensuring that staff are well trained, have a voice within the company and are empowered to provide the best customer service are all contributing factors for Safelincs’ success. With a product range of over 6000 products Safelincs can offer comprehensive fire safety solutions to customers of all sizes and work with organisations such as Eton College, Empire Cinema, the NHS, as well as schools, colleges and universities.

 

Angie Dewick-Eisele

Director

Angie Dewick-Eisele is co-founder of Safelincs Ltd, one of the leading fire safety providers in the UK. Angie was Marketing Manager for many years and as Director is these days responsible for Content Management.

Latest Posts by Angie Dewick-Eisele

Emergency Lighting Requirements1st August 2024
What to do if my Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off?19th March 2024
What is BAFE certification?28th March 2023

How are fire doors rated?

Fire doors are given ratings which relate to the length of time the doors will give protection against a fire breaking through the door. Typial ratings for fire doors look like this: FD30, FD30s, etc. FD stands for fire door, and the number stands for the minutes of protection the door is certified for,  in this instance 30 minutes protection. The ‘s’ after the number rating indicates that the fire door has not only intumescent fire door seals but also brushes to prevent the spread of cold smoke.

Fire doors form an essential part of your fire protection plan, slowing down and compartmentalising a fire. As such, you must get the right fire door in the right place; after all, it could save lives.

If you would like to gain a deeper understanding of fire door ratings, read our article ‘Fire Door Ratings: FD30 or FD60?‘ to find out more. Alternatively our online fire door configurator will guide you seamlessly through the process of purchasing a fire door.

Angie Dewick-Eisele

Director

Angie Dewick-Eisele is co-founder of Safelincs Ltd, one of the leading fire safety providers in the UK. Angie was Marketing Manager for many years and as Director is these days responsible for Content Management.

Latest Posts by Angie Dewick-Eisele

Emergency Lighting Requirements1st August 2024
What to do if my Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off?19th March 2024
What is BAFE certification?28th March 2023

Safelincs team up with Evie Toombes, para show jumper and ambassador for hidden disabilities

Safelincs are proud to be able to help support Evie Toombes with her quest to fund a medical horse box. Evie is an inspirational teenager with spina bifida and is a para show jumper from Skegness, Lincolnshire. She is also an ambassador for hidden disabilities and visits schools to talk to children about her hidden disability in the hope that she will give confidence to other children to speak about their problems.

Over the past few years Evie’s condition meant that she was unable to tolerate food and as a result lost a lot of weight and now needs to be fed through a tube into her stomach. Her condition also affects her legs, bladder and bowel.

Evie and Daisy the Horse aka 'High Offley Business Centre'
Evie with Daisy aka ‘High Offley Business Centre’

Ill health and numerous hospital visits started to make it very difficult for Evie to continue to compete, so two years ago Evie embarked on a plan to fund a medical unit horse box which would give her the ability to go to shows with all her medical equipment.

“Thank you for your support towards the purchase of my medical horse box, the security of having a vehicle that is safe and well equipped enough to deal with the current medical needs I face (that has landed me in hospital at least once a month every month for 15 months) is truly incredible,” said Evie Toombes.

Riding gives Evie freedom from her health issues and the bond with her horse and ponies gives her a boost when she is feeling unwell. Evie has won several trophies. We wish Evie every success in her future competitions.

Angie Dewick-Eisele

Director

Angie Dewick-Eisele is co-founder of Safelincs Ltd, one of the leading fire safety providers in the UK. Angie was Marketing Manager for many years and as Director is these days responsible for Content Management.

Latest Posts by Angie Dewick-Eisele

Emergency Lighting Requirements1st August 2024
What to do if my Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off?19th March 2024
What is BAFE certification?28th March 2023

Time to Change, Safelincs sign the pledge

Signing the “Time To Change” pledge is just one of the many steps that Safelincs have taken to make changes towards how people feel about mental health.

We have trained two Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) and have implemented a confidential system for staff to contact them and ask for support. We have also appointed a  Well-Being Team. This team of four staff are planning and implementing activities throughout the year that open up conversations about mental health.

Harry Dewick-Eisele, MD, and Stuart Baxter, Commercial Development Manager, signed the pledge to demonstrate that top management are taking the issue of mental health seriously. Harry Dewick-Eisele said ‘We want talking about mental health and any related issues to be as commonplace as talking about a cold or a broken leg’. All the management team at Safelincs are onboard with this initiative and we have an open door policy and staff can pop in to a manager’s office at any time to talk.

The “Time To Change”  website has lots of resources of which we have already used several, such as the Conversation Starter and handouts to get conversations going. We will be engaging staff in a number of activities over the year to ensure that talking about mental health becomes the norm at Safelincs.

Angie Dewick-Eisele

Director

Angie Dewick-Eisele is co-founder of Safelincs Ltd, one of the leading fire safety providers in the UK. Angie was Marketing Manager for many years and as Director is these days responsible for Content Management.

Latest Posts by Angie Dewick-Eisele

Emergency Lighting Requirements1st August 2024
What to do if my Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off?19th March 2024
What is BAFE certification?28th March 2023

Nest Product Generations – How to Identify Your Products

It is well known that electronic technology advances very quickly, with products being outdated and replaced by a newer version every year. More and more frequently these subsequent versions of the same product are being called ‘generations,’ such as a ‘5th gen iPod.’ Nest Labs’ range of ‘smart home’ products is no exception to this trend and the oldest two have already undergone a few iterations of redesign and improvement.

This guide has been written to help you quickly and easily identify which generation your Nest Products belong to.

Nest Protect

1st Generation 2nd Generation
Edges Straight Edges
Nest Protect 1st Generation Edges
Rounded Edges
Nest Protect 2nd Generation Edges
Backplate Square
Nest Protect 1st Generation Backplate
Circular
Nest Protect 2nd Generation Backplate
Battery Door No Battery Door
Nest Protect 1st Generation Battery Door
Battery Door
Nest Protect 2nd Generation Battery Door
Serial Number 05A or 05C
Nest Protect 1st Generation Serial Number
06A or 06C
Nest Protect 2nd Generation Serial Number

Model Number

Open the Nest app on your phone and tap Protect at the bottom, tap the Settings gear at the top followed by the alarm you’re interested in, and then go to Technical Info. If it says your model is Topaz-1.x then you have a First Generation, while Topaz-2.x denotes the Second Generation alarm.

Nest Learning Thermostat

2nd Generation 3rd Generation
Colours Stainless Steel Stainless Steel, Copper, Black, White
Appearance Nest Thermostat 2nd Generation Appearance Nest Thermostat 3rd Generation Appearance
  • 7cm screen diameter
  • 320 320px resolution
  • 8.25cm screen diameter
  • 480 x 480px screen
Base Nest Thermostat 2nd Generation Base Nest Thermostat 3rd Generation Base
  • Yellow spirit level
  • Rectangular Display connector
  • Blue spirit level
  • Oval display connector
Heat Link Nest Thermostat 2nd Generation Heat Link Nest Thermostat 3rd Generation Heat Link
  • One status light
  • 10cm height and width
  • 3 status lights
  • 11cm height and width

Nest Cam

Indoor Outdoor
Colour Black White
Appearance Nest Thermostat 2nd Generation Appearance Nest Thermostat 3rd Generation Appearance
Differentiating
Features
  • Securely stream 1080p video to your phone, tablet or laptop
  • Various positioning options
  • No installation – simply plug into power and set up via phone app
  • Compatible with standard camera mounts and tripods
  • Weatherproof camera nad cables
  • Magnetic mount with metal plate for wall attachment
  • Night vision
  • Clear 24/7 video with 130 degree viewing angle

Hushing Interlinked Smoke Alarms

Interlinked smoke alarms are becoming more and more popular as they quickly alert you to the event of a fire across larger houses, where there is a risk that you might not hear an alarm going off in the kitchen when you are, for example, in a bedroom upstairs.

Whether connected to each other with wire or wirelessly interlinked through radio frequency, interlinked smoke alarms allow you to connect multiple units – including different types of detectors – which will all sound at the same time when a single alarm detects a potential fire. The heat alarm in the kitchen, the ionisation alarm in your home office, and the specialist strobe and vibration alarm in your elderly parents’ bedroom, for example, will all go off at the same time, if just one alarm is triggered by fire.

Most of us are familiar with the test button on smoke alarms which allows residents to test their alarms regularly, to ensure the components are working and the power supply, whether battery or mains power, is working. On top of this, however, many alarms have a “hush” button which allows you to silence an alarm that has gone off, for example, due to burnt toast.

So how do hush buttons work when you have several interlinked alarms?

It’s easy to assume that, as they are all connected, hushing one alarm will silence all of them, but it is equally logical that only the unit on which you pressed the hush button should be silenced – after all, you don’t want people to assume it was a false alarm if there really is a fire raging downstairs.

Interestingly, not all interconnecting smoke alarms hush in the same way. Here is an overview explaining the different approaches employed by the three main smoke alarm manufacturers in the UK.

Kidde Slick Wireless Smoke and Heat AlarmsFor Kidde smoke alarms, the originating alarm (the unit which detected a potential fire and triggered all of your units) will have its warning light flash faster than all other units while the alarm is sounding – enabling you to identify the smoke alarm that caused the alarm. Pressing the hush button on ANY unit will silence the ENTIRE network.

Ei160e Series Smoke and Heat AlarmsIf you have interlinking Ei Electronics smoke alarms, only the originating unit’s hush button will be able to silence the ENTIRE network. The other units in the circuit can be individually silenced. To identify the originating unit you need to look for the alarm whose warning light is flashing every second, compared to every 40 or so seconds on the other units.

FireAngel WST600 Series Radio-Interlinked Smoke and Heat AlarmsFireAngel smoke alarms, however, deploy an improved silencing protocol. If you hush the originating smoke alarm then, as with the other brands, ALL connected units will be silenced. However, if you hush any other unit, the ORIGINATING alarm will continue to sound but ALL OTHER units will be silenced. This allows you to quickly identify the originating alarm which is very helpful both in case of a false alarm or a real emergency.

If you require support selecting the best smoke alarm system for yourself, please contact the friendly Safelincs support team either by emailing support@safelincs.co.uk or by ringing 0800 612 6537

Fire safety in schools

school-fire-safetyWe have created a helpful guide for school leaders and staff with fire safety responsibility in schools to condense the confusing legislation and recommendations that exist and have turned them into an easy to understand fire safety guide for schools. The article, created by a very experienced fire risk assessor with many years of experience in inspecting schools, addresses:

  • Current situation with regards to arson in schools
  • General fire precautions in schools
  • New school buildings and fire safety
  • What to do should your school experience a fire
  • Examples of typical fire safety violations in schools

Being the fire safety provider of choice both for the Church of England and the Catholic Church, one of Safelincs’ key roles is to supply fire safety goods and services to the thousands of faith schools, amongst others, in the UK. Providing guidance and support is just part of this. We offer schools many opportunities to save costs and to improve fire safety provision at the same time. To benefit from this support offer, contact support@safelincs.co.uk or ring 0800 612 6537. We are happy to help.

We also offer fire risk assessments for schools at very good rates. In addition we provide free fire risk assessment forms as well as free online fire safety log books with automatic reminders, suitable for organisations with multiple sites and numerous responsible staff members.

If you would like to talk to us about the fire safety needs within your school call 0800 612 6537.