Our team at Schaffhouser Electric knows well that your business is an enormous investment. You’ve spent time, money, energy, and effort towards cultivating your vision into something that will prosper for years to come. Your company requires continuous upkeep and maintenance to thrive, and our area of expertise includes electrical safety inspections that will protect you, your employees, and your business. Regular electrical safety inspections decrease the risk of equipment failure, fires, and electric shock. Testing and inspecting your equipment and wiring will help you catch potential electrical hazards before they become dangerous. These routine inspections serve as a necessary safety precaution for your company. 

Benefits of Electrical Safety Inspections 

Although this type of inspection might not be at the forefront of your mind, they have the potential to save a life and keep you out of physical and financial trouble. Here are a few ways that electrical safety inspections benefit your business, employees, and patrons.  

1. Inspections keep everyone safe

We have said it before, and it’s worth mentioning again: electrical inspections can save a life and prevent injury. Damaged or faulty wires result from ordinary wear and tear. Unfortunately, wiring issues lead to sparks, and sparks lead to fires. Electrical fires can cause extensive property and physical damage to buildings or individuals. These fires are easily avoidable through inspections that can pinpoint the exact fixes your building needs to stay safe. This way, you will not endanger yourself, employees, or clients.  

2. Inspections are a money saver

Over time, your building’s electrical components will require replacing. You won’t know exactly when unless you request an inspection, and if you neglect to replace connectors, wires, conduits, and other components, the electrical systems in your building will suffer. Outlets may stop working. Lights could begin flickering. These issues are both inconvenient and hazardous.  

You can think of routine electrical safety inspections as a form of business investment. Spending the money to check on your building’s wiring and other electrical components will help you catch potential hazards that may lead to fire or injury. The damage caused by an electrical fire can end up costing upwards of thousands of dollars. Beyond that, your business will have to close for repairs. During this time, workers will need to find new jobs, you will suffer a loss of work, and you will still have to pay for repairs. Since electrical issues can be easily caught through an inspection, it makes sense to invest now to avoid unforeseen financial circumstances down the road.  

3. Inspections will help you avoid electrical malfunctions

A good way to think about this is that if the wiring is damaged, anything receiving power from them could also be damaged. The issues can grow from a couple of wires needing replacements to a few computers, phones, appliances, and tools. Neglecting regular electrical inspections may lead to several electronics requiring maintenance or total replacement. The longer you wait, the worse the problem will get.

4. Inspections help you stay efficient

A regular inspection will keep all of your electrical systems up-to-date and at the best of their capabilities. This leads to more efficient performance, fewer faults, and lower bills due to less energy consumption.  

What Does an Electrical Inspection Include? 

During your electrical safety inspection, a licensed electrician runs through a list of components of your electrical system. Their primary concern is to identify any potential issues that will need to be fixed in order to avoid electrical hazards. Specifically, their focus will be on the quality of any previous electrical work. 

The licensed electrician will check your systems to verify that everything is up to current codes. They will review key aspects of your set up including:

  • The specific wiring methods that were previously used upon installation 
  • How suitable the wiring method that was used actually is for the building you occupy 
  • How many bends each conduit has 
  • Corrosion levels and whether or not your electrical system will require any corrosion protection 

You should note that there is different technology available to perform electrical safety inspections, and depending on the type of inspection you choose, you may benefit from early detection of issues typically overlooked during a standard inspection.  

Thermal Infrared Testing, or thermography, functions well as an early warning system for potential electrical/mechanical equipment breakdowns. It is a more comprehensive form of electrical testing that evaluates emerging or existing electrical problems that are otherwise invisible to the human eye. Since these issues cannot be seen ordinarily, they are most often missed during the average inspection. Infrared testing is most commonly used for:  

  • Substations, transformers, and feeder poles 
  • Distribution panels and disconnects 
  • Electrical power supplies 
  • Main electrical incoming services, transformers, and capacitor banks 
  • Switchboards and disconnects 
  • Motor control centers 
  • Service electrical disconnects for motors 
  • Generator controls and transfer switches 
  • Main I-Line electrical panels 
  • Lighting and receptacle electrical panels 

Talk with one of our Schaffhouser team members to discuss which electrical safety inspection is right for you. If you think it’s time for your building’s next electrical checkup, we are available online or by a phone call at 615-325-8001.