Ensure you provide adequate power outlets

Most appliances you operate in your study/home office will be on the bench/desk, such as a computer, printer, fax, answering machine, screen and calculator. Its a good idea to place power outlets in these areas above normal bench/desk height to provide easy access for your equipment.

Provide extra lighting

Working in front of a computer screen, in a darkened room can cause great damage to your eyes. Therefore, it is important to provide greater lighting than simply a single incandescent globe if you intend to do any computer work late at night.

To protect your computer and fax machine use a Surge Filter Mechanism

A range of compact surge protection devices is available that are designed to absorb power surges which may damage or even destroy your expensive electrical equipment. They may be installed at your main switchboard to protect all power circuits. There are also models which operate as any normal power outlet except they have an in built neon lamp to indicate that the surge filter is operating correctly. Portable surge filters are available which can be fitted to existing power outlets and provide the same protection.

Ensure you install a Smoke Alarm

Smoke alarms are now mandatory in all new homes in most states of Australia. Smoke inhalation is the main cause of death in domestic fires and as the smell of smoke wont wake you, a quality detection network is essential. The early warning a smoke alarm provides means less chance of major fire damage and, more importantly less chance of lives being lost. Smoke alarms can be mains powered, with a 9V battery backup as an additional safety feature. Also available are smoke alarms that run off a 9V battery. The smoke alarm provides constant visual status that the system is working correctly, includes a hush facility, and up to 40 units can be interconnected together. This means if one alarm is triggered all other interconnected alarms will be triggered, alerting everyone in the house.