Recent research by Energenie suggests that more office Christmas parties will take place tonight than ever before.
A fifth of women asked by the electronics firm said that they had at some point left hair straighteners on while out.
With more staff members preparing for the night out at work rather than travelling home first — and with Christmas drinks sometimes starting earlier in the day — there are concerns over the increased risk of fire caused by straighteners being left on accidentally.
Catherine Levin, London Fire Brigade’s deputy head of community safety, said, "Leaving appliances switched on is something that people do all the time which not only poses a significant safety risk but wastes energy too."
Alan Tadd, Energenie’s MD said, "It is human nature that we are all typically more concerned about preserving our home environment than our working one. The carelessness unearthed in this survey is likely, therefore, to be magnified in offices."
Hair straighteners reach temperatures of up to 210°C and take as long as 40 minutes to cool down.
