If not managed, cables can be an eyesore. Worse than that, they can be a health and safety hazard. However, there are plenty of cable management options available to help business owners provide a safe and tidy work environment where employees can be productive.

The rules around cable management in the workplace

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places responsibility for the health and safety of all employees with employers. This includes being aware and taking steps to prevent slip and trip hazards.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require floors to be suitable, in good condition and free from obstructions. People should be able to move around safely.

While the law hasn’t changed recently, the way we live has. Many businesses operate a BYOD (bring your own device) policy, and even where they don’t, many employees think nothing of charging their phones while at work.

With so many devices to plug in, charge, and connect, cables have become an increasing problem in the workplace. This means cable management has become something employers can no longer choose to ignore.

The key thing when it comes to health and safety awareness is ensuring that no one can trip on cables that are trailing across or along walkways, and corridors. However, beyond that, it’s also important that the cable is managed from one end to the other to avoid loops or tangles that could cause a trip.

Of course, for cables positioned long-term, this is easier to manage, but for others that may be used on an ad-hoc basis, or for those that may be used for outdoor events with lots of visitors, the management of cables can be much more complicated.

Here are a few of the most popular cable management solutions that we sell and where and when they can help you meet your responsibility to take care of your employees.

Floor cable cover mat

Our floor cable cover is a heavy-duty rubber mat that is perfect for events outdoors or indoors. As a heavy mat, it’s not likely to ruck up, and it has highly visible yellow strips running the length of the mat to make the mat more visible. It has a low profile of just 13mm, and the cables fit beneath the mat and the side slope gently again reducing the risk of tripping on abrupt edges.

Rigid floor trunking

We also have rigid trunking too, where cables can nestle safely into their own section. This is a good solution where wires need protection but tends to have a higher profile, which means it isn’t as effective where cables trail across walkways.

Cable spines

Of course, just because a wire or cable isn’t trailing along a walkway, doesn’t mean that it isn’t a health and safety risk. Our cable snakes and spines provide a subtle but effective way to keep cables in one tidy place. These can run from the ground to the underside of the desktop, and then along the underside of the desk to the cable port.

Cables with sit/stand desks are always complicated though as these need a degree of flexibility. Our KUBA SLIM square profile snake is a modular system so you can manage the slack in cables to avoid any entanglement of feet.

Cable trays or carriers

One of the most simple but popular solutions is the lowly cable carrier. Wire basket cable trays can be attached to the underside of desks, tables or cabinets to hold cables out of sight. Available in a wide range of lengths, these cable trays won’t interfere with knees and chairs, and enable cables to be run through the tray, neatly out of the way.

And by the clever use of desk cable ports and grommets, power can be delivered safely to exactly where it’s needed.

If you have any questions about our cable management solutions or the best way to minimise the risk of slips and trips on cables in your workplace, contact us on 0844 7766800 or try our live chat.