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They impose duties in respect of SYSTEMS, ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT, CONDUCTORS and the COMPETENCE OF PERSONS in respect of work activities on or near electrical equipment. Put simply, those at work must make sure that everything that uses or carries electricity in the workplace is safe, that people do not interfere with or abuse anything electrical that has been supplied for their use or bring into the workplace anything electrical that is unsafe.
One of the most important facets of electrical safety is the regular routine visual inspection of electrical equipment. The visual checking of electrical leads to appliances etc. should be made part of every employee’s work habits. To comply with the Regulations you may also need to make arrangements to ensure that portable electrical appliances which are themselves high risk eg. electric drills, or used in a high risk environment for example outside or in wet environments eg. electric mowers, are inspected by a competent person on a regular basis. Keep a record of all maintenance, including test results, throughout the working life of each appliance. You may find it helpful if a small sticker noting the date of inspection is attached to each piece of equipment.
The use of multi way adapters is not recommended. There should always be sufficient socket outlets provided to supply any portable appliances used. A wall socket is designed to have sufficient strength to cater for a single plug; when an adapter is used with a number of plugs, the weight of the assembly and its leverage increases the mechanical stress on a socket contact. There is also the danger of electrical overload as the combined loads may exceed the rating of the socket outlet.
The danger of metal work becoming live may be reduced by the use of a residual current device (RCD) designed to operate rapidly at very small leakage currents (typically not exceeding 30mA) although these devices do not eliminate the risk of electric shock. RCD’s should be considered only as providing a second line of defence. They should be tested regularly using the trip button and a record of the test kept. Miniature circuit breakers which are increasingly being used to replace wired or cartridge fuses in fuse boxes (consumer units) do not offer protection against electric shock.
We offer a comprehensive range of services to employers ensuring that they meet their electrical installations legal requirements toward employees (and customers). We will happily visit your premises to discuss how we may help you and the first consultative meeting is at no charge.
Contact us here to arrange a free consultation regarding electrical safety in your workplace.
Further information is available from the Environmental Health Officer at your local government office. You can also use the HSE information line; 0541 545500 or obtain leaflets on electrical safety through HSE books, P.O. Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, C010 6FS, 01787 881165, or online here;
http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/
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