1.5 Electrical safety
Electrical equipment is a significant cause of
accidental fires in factories and warehouses.
The main causes are:
• overheating cables and equipment, e.g. due
to overloading circuits, bunched or coiled
cables or impaired cooling fans;
• incorrect installation or use of equipment;
• little or no maintenance and testing of
equipment;
• damaged or inadequate insulation on
cables or wiring;
• combustible materials being placed too
close to electrical equipment, which may
give off heat even when operating
normally, or may become hot due to a fault;
• arcing or sparking by electrical equipment;
• embrittlement and cracking of cable
sheathing in cold environments;
• bunched cables passing through insulation
which can generate excessive heat; and
• impaired cooling fans.