Read our interesting and informative article ‘Conquering Your Legal Requirements of Electrical Maintenance’ first featured in the North London Chamber of Commerce December 2009 newsletter below:

All employers and employees (including the self-employed) have a duty to fulfil health and safety requirements in order to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises. Contrary to popular belief, there are no prescribed timescales under Health and Safety laws for when electrical safety tests should take place. On learning this during the current economic climate, it may be tempting to put electrical maintenance, such as Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and Periodic Inspection Reports, on the back burner in order to spread company costs and save money.

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All employers and employees (including the self-employed) have a duty to fulfil health and safety requirements in order to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises. Contrary to popular belief, there are no prescribed timescales under Health and Safety laws for when electrical safety tests should take place. On learning this during the current economic climate, it may be tempting to put electrical maintenance, such as Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and Periodic Inspection Reports, on the back burner in order to spread company costs and save money.

However, procrastination of this sort is both unwise and uneconomic as electrical systems and equipment left unchecked are likely to degrade which could lead to your undoing - both financially and in terms of health and safety. By having a planned system of inspection, you are more likely to ‘nip potential electrical problems in the bud’. PAT Testing, for example, should be carried out regularly, usually an annual inspection will suffice. If portable appliances (electrical items with a plug attached) are used in adverse environments, such as construction sites, more frequent testing would be suggested.

It is recommended by the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) Wiring Regulations that the intervals of inspection for electrical installations (your building’s Fixed Wiring system) are conducted at least every five years. Attention landlords! Your properties are also subject to this legislation.

To reiterate, by ensuring that an ‘electrical MOT’ plays an essential role in the operation of your business, it is highly likely that you pre-empting electrical issues thereby saving money and perhaps preventing costly accidents in the long run.

Discovering dangerous appliances or death-traps is always a spine-tingling experience for PAT engineers. Decent company owners are also shocked when such appliances are found on their premises. It is, therefore, in the interest of organisations to ensure that sufficient funds are allocated to electrical safety testing. In a nutshell, be safe rather than sorry!

In addition, business insurance could be rendered invalid if it is proven that appropriate steps have not been taken to adhere to health and safety regulations. ACtest Limited clients are provided with a wealth of advice, where applicable, and urged to keep reports and certificates in a safe place, should they need to be presented to a health and safety officer. In particular, local authorities that perform unannounced spot checks do request documentation.

Understanding the Legislation

Understanding electrical safety from a Health and Safety viewpoint can be challenging as it sometimes presented in an inaccessible way, often replete with legalese. Many employers do not have time to digest material presented in this way. In its simplest form, electrical maintenance can be considered as part of four regulations which are particularly relevant to electrical maintenance and relate to general Health and Safety, also. For ease, an abridged explanation of each has been provided for each:

Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – places the responsibility of health and safety of persons in the workplace on both the employer (including the self-employed) and employee.

Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – upholds the employer to carry out sufficient risk assessment of his/her workplace to minimize risks to staff and persons not in his employment (such as visitors, etc.) and to ensure that the health and safety policy of the company is fully implemented, understood and being adhered to by employees. Visitors must also be made aware of basic health and safety requirements, such as the location of fire exits, etc.

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 – to take all measures to minimize electrical hazards by inspecting and testing all types of electrical equipment across all work environments.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 – all employers must ensure that work equipment is fit for purpose and maintained in an efficient state. It is imperative that PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is provided and paid for by the employer.

Electrical Health Check of Your Business

In order to control electrical health and safety risks of your business, it is important to be self-reflective. Truthfully answer the following questions:

• Is electrical health and safety a part of your on-going agenda?

• Are your employees trained to report and look for signs of electrical danger?

• Are your employees told that they, too, are responsible for the electrical Health and Safety of their workplace?

• Are employees encouraged to report electrical hazards?

• Do you have a carefully planned electrical inspection system in place?

When selecting the services of an electrical testing and inspection company to assist you in adhering to the regulations, do you check that the company has the following?

• Qualified engineers

• CRB checked engineers (particularly relevant if your business is a care home or a place where children are likely to be)

• Full liability insurance

• Recognised forms of accreditation; for example, NAPIT (The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers), SAFEcontractor, etc.

• Produces electronic reports

It is hoped that this article has shed some light on the subject of electrical health and safety and has stimulated your thinking on the matter of electrical testing. Asking the question: ‘Is there more I could be doing to stay safe from the dangers of electricity?’ and acting on it, is the way forward to fulfilling your electrical health and safety requirements.

For more information, call ACtest Limited on 08000 433 728

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