Current legislation makes it illegal for any student to bring into College or College-owned accommodation any portable electrical appliance that does not conform to BS 1363 British Safety Standards. In practical terms, this means that all appliances must have an appropriate 3-pin plug; a fuse to match the rating of the appliance; a damage-free electrical lead; and no loose connections. From time to time, the College is required by the Health & Safety Executive to produce evidence that safety standards are being maintained.
The College must, therefore, ask you to provide a list on the below form of all portable electrical appliances that you have brought into College or College-owned accommodation. If after returning the form you bring additional appliances into College, it will be necessary for you to submit a revised list. Printers, speakers, scanners, external hard drives and other system-peripherals do not need to be listed separately but should all comply with BS 1363 standards.
By submitting the form, you acknowledge that all appliances owned by you or used by you in the College or other College owned accommodation do meet the appropriate regulations. The form should be returned by 31st October.
No individual electrical items rated above 1.5kW (1500W) are permitted, and you are advised that it is sensible to stick to a limit of 1kW (1000W) if you can.
Fan heaters are not permitted, although oil-filled radiators limited to 1kW or less may be used.
The use of any cooking appliance, including toasters, in study bedrooms is strictly forbidden. Only a small kettle or coffee maker may be used in bedrooms. All other cooking appliances must only be used in the catering area of your College accommodation (gyp room, kitchen or communal area) and are not permitted in individual rooms. Cooking equipment places excessive loads on the electrical system and creates a fire hazard. Fire extinguishers have been provided by the College, and other fire precautions have been taken, wherever cooking is permitted, but not in study bedrooms.
Refrigerators, other than ‘mini-refrigerators’, are not permitted in study bedrooms except in the case of medical or special dietary requirements. Tutorial permission should be sought if you need a refrigerator for these reasons. Mini-fridges (which only cool to a certain degree below ambient temperature) may only be used for storing cold drinks and medication: they must not be used for storing dairy products, raw or cooked meat, or meat products (such as pies, pasties or ready meals), as they often do not achieve sufficiently low temperatures (6°C or less) to store these items safely.
In certain older parts of the College some further restrictions on possession and use of electrical equipment may be necessary because of electrical loading limits.
If you are unsure whether your electrical equipment meets the above standards, the Maintenance Department can arrange for testing: contact them using the "fault reporting" system on the intranet.
3-pin plugs
If you have brought any electrical appliances into College that are not fitted with 3-pin plugs or that do not conform to BS 1363 standards, please list them below with an explanation, so that the Maintenance Department can assess their safety. However, appliances with 2-pin plugs will not normally be approved (except shavers).
Acknowledgement
I acknowledge, by submitting this form that all appliances owned and/or used by me in the College or in College-owned accommodation are listed above, that they conform to BS 1363 standards, and are fitted with 3-pin plugs, except for those I have listed in the section above.
