Normally constructed from durable plastic or steel with a plastic handle for safety the typical kettle is powered by mains electricity and heats the water until the kettle automatically deactivates to prevent the water boiling away and damaging the heating element.

The kettle can be time inefficient as staff can end up waiting around for the kettle to boil several times in one day.

It?s also important to realise that all portable electrical appliances in offices within the UK are subject to PAT (Portable Appliance Test) testing. PAT testing involves the routine checking of each appliance to ensure continual safety; the interval between tests depends on both the type of appliance and the environment in which it is used. The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggest intervals for inspection and testing ranging from 3 months to 4 years. To check if your office kettle has been tested check for a label stuck to the kettles power cable.

A common misconception is that kettles reach boiling point, this is rarely the case see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/chang/boiling/DeLuc_boiling.htm, this is only important as the household kettle is the standard that most people have in mind when attempting to provide hot drinks in their office, in reality boiling water is not necessary for hot drinks water at 95