How to plan your office cable management

There are many reasons why planning your office cable management is important. By keeping office power cables tidy you can: Keep your staff and visitors safer, increase the longevity of your cables, and can make your office appear tidier, more organised and more inviting.

So, what is the best way to plan your office cable management?

Before you can get started planning your office cable management, there is one question you will need to answer. This will determine whether you are using a power lead extension, or whether you simply plug the power lead for the device itself into the wall. we can answer this question, we need to consider how cables are used.

Firstly, establish if the power cable user needs to access the 3-pin wall plug regularly. In some cases, such as for mobile phones and laptops the user may regularly wish to unplug the device to take both the device and power chord home or to work elsewhere. For more static equipment such as photocopiers and printers, this is less important.

If the user does need access, how easy and convenient is access?  If the wall power socket isn’t easily accessible, an extension cable with multiple sockets that sits within a desk such as this motorised pop-up socket, or a freestanding tower module may be the best solution. These options would make it convenient for the cable user to plug and unplug from the power source quickly and easily, whenever needed.

However, because both of these options are retrospectively installed, and there’s no need for an electrician, both would include a cable that would run to a 3-pin wall power socket and this cable would still need to be managed effectively using cable management solutions to avoid risk of damage or an accident.

If the cable user doesn’t need regular access to the 3-pin power socket and won’t be unplugging the electrical cable to move the device regularly, you can plug the power lead directly into the wall socket and simply protect the power cable.

4 Principles for planning your under-desk cable management

When running cables from a power socket to either a power extension or a device you need to work with the same principles in mind:

1. For cables that run across the floor – use a heavy-duty cable mat often referred to as floor trunking to prevent slips and trips and to protect the cable from damage. Damage to cables can create a risk of electrocution to cable users and others in the office environment.
2. For cables that run vertically up to the underside of a desk, use a profile snake. This protects the cable from getting caught or damaged and looks neat. These profile snakes also tend to have separate sections for different wires, so choose a profile snake that will work for the correct number of cables you need it to carry. Profile snakes usually come with a kit that enables you to fix the cable spine to the underside of a desk and then a weighted anchor that ensures one end of the spine remains on the floor.

3. Then, to run a cable across the underside of a desk, use an under-desk wire basket cable tray. This enables you to run the cable from one end of the desk to the other neatly under the desktop. Cable trays come in a variety of different lengths and some even have clips to ensure the cables remain in place. These cable trays are fitted to the underside of the desk with brackets that are easy to install with a screwdriver.
4. For a neat and tidy look, the cable can then be brought up to the desktop through a hole in the desktop to emerge close to the device to be powered. This hole should be fitted with a metal desk grommet or a brush-lined furniture slot to ensure there are no rough edges and to make the hole for the wires appear neater and cleaner. These are sold in all shapes and sizes and can be bought in wood effect, black plastic effect, chrome or brushed steel to compliment your office colour scheme.

Once you’ve considered the cabling needs and have planned the most direct and safest route for the cables, you simply need a few measurements to start to plan your cable requirements. If you need any help or advice, our team are right here to help you plan your office cable management solution. You can reach us on 01295 565001 or chat with our friendly advisors online.