tackling trouble areas UPDATING Wall Plates And Receptacles The installation and condition of wall outlets can affect the safety and overall perception of a facility. By: Paul Stennett With all of the possible structural and elec-trical problems in a commercial facility, wall outlets and receptacles are often over-looked as a cause for concern. But nothing could be further from the truth. The installation, condition and look of your outlets can make or break the safety and overall perception of your facility. Listed here are outlet concerns that facil-ity managers and maintenance profession-als should take into consideration. Gaps 4.5 millimeters and over may in-crease the chances of a short circuit. Lint, dust and hair act as kindling when they accumulate, and electrical outlets are prime accumulation spots. Under certain conditions, even an explo-sion is possible. It’s hard to overstate the danger that dust and other detritus can cause when too W Crack Kills Cracked outlet plates are bound to become a dust trap and create a fire — or even ex-plosion — hazard. This also goes for gaps created by under-sized wall plates. Cracked outlet plates are bound to become a dust trap and create a fire — or even explosion — hazard. 40 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2014 Image courtesy of Juan-Carlos Herrera-Arango/iStock/Thinkstock
CMM – Archives February 2014: 40
