To make sure your office stays safe this winter, here are five tips for using a space heater in and around your office, desk or cubicle.1. PLACEMENTMake sure your space heater has at least three feet of breathing room on all sides to prevent surrounding items from catching fire. Items like paper, cardboard and clothing can catch fire if left too close to the heater. Also never place anything on top of or touching the space heater.2. TYPE OF SPACE HEATERUse the most updated model you can find with safety features like automatic shutoff, in case it falls over.3. USE AN OUTLETPlug space heaters into a wall outlet instead of an extension cord or power strip, as space heaters require high current flow and can overheat power strips. Also, do not plug anything else into that wall outlet other than your heater.4. TURN IT OFFSet a reminder on your phone or email for when you leave work to be sure you remember to unplug or turn off all space heaters when leaving your desk for an extended period. Some space heaters even have auto-off timers, which will automatically turn off when set to a specific time.5. LOCATIONPlace the heater away from main traffic areas to avoid a fall hazard.
