Home | Residents | Business | Visitors

Business & Economy | Environment | Health & Social Care | Housing | Jobs | Learning | Leisure & Culture | Living | Planning & Building Control | Transport & Streets | Your Council

| Electrical Equipment
| Electricity At Work

Home Page > Health & Social Care > Environmental Health > Health and Safety > Electrical Safety > Electrical Equipment

Electrical Equipment

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Regulation 4(4) requires that:

"Any equipment provided under these Regulations for the purpose of protecting persons at work on or near electrical equipment shall be suitable for the use for which it is provided, be maintained in a condition suitable for that use, and be properly used".

All items of electrical equipment including fixed, portable / transportable equipment are covered by this regulation.

Portable / transportable equipment is that which connects to a fixed installation or generator by means of a flexible cable and either a plug and socket or a spur box (or similar means). Extension leads, plugs & sockets etc would also be classed as portable / transportable equipment.

Portable / transportable electrical equipment includes items such as:

• electric drills
• portable hand lamps
• portable grinders
• pressure water cleaners
• floor cleaners
• kettles
• toasters

Nearly a quarter of all reportable electrical accidents involve portable equipment.

How to Control the Risk

The likelihood of accidents occurring will vary, depending on the type of electrical equipment, the way in which it is used and maintained and the environment in which it is used. A system to control the risk from electrical equipment should involve:

1. Assessment of risks
2. Establishment of an appropriate maintenance system
3. Provision of information, instruction and training for employees

1. Assessment of Risks

As portable electrical equipment, especially hand held equipment, is likely to be subjected to physical damage and wear or harsh treatment when in use it presents an even greater degree of risk along with the near certainty of electric shock following a dangerous fault.

To try and prevent accidents, factors that could be taken into account when assessing the risks include:

• type of equipment and whether hand-held or not
• manufacturer’s recommendations / advice
• initial integrity and soundness of equipment
• age of the equipment
• working environment or likelihood of mechanical damage
• frequency of use of the equipment
• foreseeable abuse of the equipment
• effects of repairs or modifications
• previous maintenance record

Measures taken should be appropriate to the risk. Procedures will need to be carried out more frequently where the risk is high and less frequently where the risk is lower.

2. Establishment of an appropriate maintenance system

Maintenance can include visual inspection, testing, repair and replacement and will determine whether the equipment is either fully serviceable or in need of remedial action.

It is suggested that a combination of actions at three levels where necessary can achieve cost-effective maintenance:

• User Checks (visual) for damage to the sheath or plug; inadequate jointing; effective cable clamping; inappropriate environment or use of equipment; damaged casing etc. to equipment; evidence of overheating.
• Formal Visual Inspections carried out routinely by a competent person; more formal and systematic than User Checks; may include plug cover removal to check fuse, effectiveness of cord grip, cable terminations, internal damage; does not include taking the equipment apart. The competent person can usually be an employee with sufficient information, knowledge and training but aware of the limits of their competency. Simple written guidance could be produced for the inspections, which should be carried out at regular and appropriate intervals.
• Combined Inspection and Tests (This requires a wider degree of competence). These will reveal most potentially dangerous faults, including, for example, loss of earth integrity due to deterioration in insulation. Testing is likely to be justified:
   
  1. when there is reason to suppose the equipment may be defective;
  2. after repair or modification
  3. at periods appropriate to the equipment, the manner and frequency of use and the environment.

Testing involves two levels of competency:

• A person, not skilled in electrical work, trained to routinely use a simple ‘pass/fail’ type of portable appliance tester (PAT – see below for details) where no interpretation of readings is necessary.
• The higher level of competency involves a person with electrical skills using a more sophisticated instrument that gives readings that require interpretation.

There is no requirement in the regulations to keep maintenance logs but it is recommended that they are kept. The benefits of keeping records can include:

• Allows review of the maintenance schedule;
• An inventory of equipment can be established;
• Labelling equipment that has been inspected/tested satisfactorily could also be considered.

3. Provision of information, instruction and training for employees

Basic straightforward training and information should be provided to all users of electrical equipment concerning ‘user checks’.

Training should be provided for members of staff who carry out formal visual inspections. They should be trained in what to look for and procedures to be followed.

Brief written guidance could be given to all appropriate staff to allow for easy reference and a procedure on correct action to take if a fault is discovered could be included e.g. take out of use and report to manage.

It is vital to ensure that any person carrying out combined inspection and tests has sufficient knowledge, training and experience to do so competently.

What is PAT?

Portable appliance testing (PAT) is a process by which electrical appliances in an organisation are checked to see if they are safe. It usually means that the equipment is carefully inspected (including checking the cable and plug as well as the appliance) followed by relevant electrical tests to verify the earth bond and insulation.

Is PAT a Legal Requirment?

Contrary to what others may tell you, there is NO specific legal requirement to have your appliances tested, however, there IS a legal requirement for all employers and self employed people to make sure that their equipment is SAFE. The best way to do this is to inspect and test it on a regular basis, and this is why there is an expectation that testing will be carried out.

The main piece of legislation covering health and safety in the United Kingdom is the Health & Safety at Work (etc) Act 1974. The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 puts the duty of care upon both the employer and the employee to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises. This includes the self-employed.

The requirements of the act are quite general, and so regulations have been passed more recently, of the many sets of regulations, some have specific relevance electrical safety, including:

• Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999,
• Electricity at Work Regulations 1989,
• Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

PAT is often used as a simple way of demonstrating that legal requirements under the above regulations have been addressed, although other ways of complying are available.

References / Further Details

• Booklet HS(G)107: Maintaining Portable and Transportable Electrical Equipment ISBN 0 7176 07151 available from HSE Books.
• FREE Leaflet IND(G) 236 Maintaining Portable Electrical Equipment in Offices and Other Low Risk Environments ISBN 0 7176 1272 4 available from HSE Books or http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg236.pdf download here now!!
• Leaflet IND(G) 237 - Maintaining Portable Electrical Equipment in Hotels and Tourist Accommodation ISBN 0 7176 12732 available from HSE Books or http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg237.pdf download here now!!
• General guidance IND(G) 354 – Safety in Electrical Testing at Work ISBN 0 7176 2296 7 available from HSE Books or http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg354.pdf download here now!!

---