We all know the story about Rapunzel, a naive girl, and her extremely protective mother. Locked away and wishing to escape to the world outside her dreams come true, when she meets Flynn, the good-hearted thief...(he also lied about his name with his real name being Eugene Fitzherbert but that's not really important). They both fall in love, marry and live happily ever after, minus him dying, being brought back to life by a tear and all that lot.
Anyway many years on and Rapunzels great, great, great, great grand-daughter, Rapunzel Junior is a successful entrepreneur with a massive multi-billion company but she is just as naive.
Rap Jnr has a large office with over 200 staff all with a PC and a printer. All computers are powered by extension leads trailing across the floor and as for the cables to the back of them they resemble the great Italian dish Spaghetti. Everything is just tangled and a mess.
That tangled, dis-organised mess of cable spaghetti, is not only difficult to manage and trace but it can also pose a serious risk to your health and safety and possible result in the loss of life.
Cables wrapped around power packs can become very hot and cause a fire, whilst the general wear and tear on cables could result in the insulation breaking and a cable becoming live. The outcome of this could be catastrophic.
Little does Rap Jnr know that like Rapunzel Senior her life is going to be saved, this time by the knight in shining armour, in a Wattech top, writing this post.
How can she fix the problem? Here's a few pointers to get started:
First of all ensure cables are run out of walkways.
Use cables that are the right length, not too long but not too short. Just like Goldie Locks it has to be just right.
Label both ends of cables and do a cable flow diagram, so that you can trace them in the future.
Take a look at cable management items such as cable sleeves, cable ties, cable trays etc.
Don't bunch cables tightly together, this allows the natural heat created by the flow of electricity to dissipate and reduces the risk of overheating.
Don't daisy chain extensions or other cables. This reduces the chance of overloading.
Remove any cables no longer used. Store them away, you may need them in the future.
When storing cables away keep them tidy. Using something as simple as an old toilet roll can help.
By following the 8 tips above Rap Jnr now has a tidy, safe office, happy staff who lived happily ever after. Even the happy I.T technicians who could see they were disconnecting nasty Bobs PC from facebook because he wouldn't let them have their tea break.
Although a silly story to liven things up during this lockdown period, the moral of the story is as true as any. Stay safe, be cable aware.