Christmas decorations and tasteful lights can seriously improve the curb appeal of your hotel, and at this time of year, many of your guests will expect to be greeted by them. But how can you make sure that your Christmas lights are safe, and in line with electrical safety standards? Well, here at Walker Electrical, we are Preston’s leading electrical and lighting experts. As a result, we have produced this guide to help you keep your hotel safe this Christmas season.
What are the regulations for Christmas lights and electrical safety in hotels?
There are several steps you can take to ensure that your lights and decorations are safe, and are used in compliance with electrical safety guidelines. These include:
- PAT testing your new Christmas equipment- Christmas lights and decorations, although temporary, are still classed as a portable appliance. As part of the electrical safety regulations, this means that these should be PAT tested before use. This will provide evidence that the lighting and decorations are safe and suitable for use, while also providing protection for you, should anything go wrong. They will however only need testing every few years in most cases, and not annually.
- Mains connection via a 30mA RCD- All of your Christmas lights and decorations need to connected to the electrical mains via a 30mA residual current device (RCD). This is essential for protecting your property, and your guests, should anything happen to the lights or decorations, as this safety measure ensures that the electricity is switched off automatically if the lights fail, or if someone damages a cable.
- Quality rating for exterior lights- Exterior quality Christmas lighting comes with an ingress protection (IP) rating. For external Christmas lights, these need to be rated at IP44, and this should be stated clearly on the packaging. Always retain your packaging for future reference.
For more information or advice, get in touch with the experts today, here at Walker Electrical.