Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

 

The Principles

 

Electrical safety in virtually every work place is governed by the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 which came into force on 1 April 1990. They place duties on every employer and self-employed person to comply with the Regulations and on every employee to co-operate with his employer and to comply with the

Regulations so far as they relate to matters which are within his control.

 

The Regulations state principles of electrical safety in a form which may be applied to any electrical equipment and any work activity having a bearing on electrical safety. They apply to all electrical systems and equipment whenever manufactured purchased, installed, or taken into use, even if this predates the Regulations. This does not mean that continued use of old equipment would automatically be in contravention of the Regulations. Compliance with the Regulations is required .as far as is reasonably practicable. and it is unlikely that it would be deemed necessary to replace equipment solely due to it having been manufactured to a superseded British Standard or installed to a previous edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations.

 

The Regulations meant that many activities previously acknowledged as good working practices are now a legal requirement with emphasis placed on there being documentary evidence kept to

show that an electrical system is being maintained in a safe state.

Electricity can kill. Each year over 1000 accidents at work involving electric shock or burns are reported to the HSE. Over 30 are fatal! Most fatalities arise from contact with live overhead or underground power cables.

 

Even non-fatal shocks can cause severe and permanent injury. Shocks from faulty equipment can cause falls from ladders, steps and scaffolding.

Poor electrical installations and faulty electrical circuits and appliances can lead to fires which cause death or injury to others and property damage.

The Main Hazards are:

- Contact with live parts causing shock and burns (normal mains
   voltage 240V can kill).
- Faults which can cause injury and fires 

- Fire or explosion where electricity could be the source of ignition
  in a potentially flammable or explosive atmosphere, e.g. storage
  area or spray paint booth.

Risk assessments must be carried out to determine the level of electrical risk and control measures in place.

The IEE Wiring Regulations

 

The Institution of Electrical Engineers Regulations for Electrical Installations (the IEE Wiring Regulations) are non-statutory regulations. They are widely recognised and accepted in the UK and compliance with them is likely to achieve compliance with the relevant aspects of the 1989 Regulations. However many types of system, equipment and hazards to which the IEE Wiring Regulations are not applicable, are subject to the 1989 Regulations. For example, the IEE Wiring Regulations do not apply to installations operating above 1000 volts a.c; certain installations at mines and quarries, equipment on vehicles, systems for public supply and explosion protection.

 

In general, responsible companies, which work to IEE Regulations and have good management systems, should have little difficulty in complying with the Electricity at Work Regulations.

Points to Note

- There is much emphasis on inspection and testing of systems and equipment (including portable equipment) accompanied by records.

Manufacturers of electrical equipment are expected to be able to inform customers of defects discovered after sale by means of a recall system or similar process.

- There is a requirement for companies to foresee and make allowances for problems such as impact, stress, vandalism, weather, corrosion, flammable atmospheres, etc.

- For working on electrical systems there must be secure isolation. This is taken to mean the locking of isolation switches. The withdrawal of fuses and placing of warning cards is not generally acceptable unless there is a very clearly disciplined environment. If

there are several persons working on an item of plant, for example a fitter and an electrician, each person must control his own lock.

- Isolation switches must be marked to show their relationship to the equipment.

- Equipment must be proved to be dead by means of proper test equipment before working on it. The test equipment must be proved before and after use.

- There must be proper notices on adjacent live equipment and clear

demarcation with rope, tapes, etc, for maintenance work.

- Permit to work systems are to be used and will effectively be mandatory above 3000 volts. There should be a system for monitoring or auditing the permits.

- Live work must not be undertaken lightly and must only be a last resort.  
- Protective equipment must be regularly inspected with records kept.

- Records must be kept of training and certification for all staff on electrical work to ensure that they are competent.

Practical Action

The statement of clear principles in the Regulations encourages a review of the standard of electrical safety, which is actually being achieved in the work place by means of a thorough audit of electrical safety. It is also a good time to review electrical aspects of the safety policy, the internal house safety rules, safety instructions, and instructions on systems of work. Expert help may be required to carry out effective audits of the work of electrical specialists.

Although this is by no means a comprehensive list, the following are some of the aspects of electrical safety, which the Regulations emphasise and which need to be considered in any audit.

-Working near live conductors - can equipment or systems of work be modified so this is not necessary? 
-Have the special safety problems of electrical and electronics testing and fault diagnosis been addressed? Expert advice may be needed.

-Is isolation for maintenance work really secure? What needs to be done to ensure that a circuit being worked on will not be inadvertently re-energised? Are proving tests done to make doubly

sure that 240/415volt circuits are deenergised before starting work? 

-When maintenance work has to be done on circuits, which are multiple sourced (UPS are an example) are isolation arrangements satisfactory?

-Are circuits properly identified to prevent dangerous confusion?
-Are system line drawings available to assist circuit identification?

-Is there adequate working space, means of access, and lighting in all the locations where the electrical equipment will need to be maintained?

 -Are earth loop impedance tests carried out regularly on the distribution system?

-Is the fault capacity of the switchgear adequate and does old switchgear need replacing?

-Are users required by the house rules to report electrical equipment faults promptly and take faulty equipment out of service, particularly hand tools?

-Do you have the paperwork to prove the state of maintenance of the electrical system?

Further Information

Full details of HSE publications including specific industry sector guidance on this and other subjects are contained in the .Price List of HSE publications. and the. List of free publications. catalogues available from HSE Books. Extensive HSE guidance and information <1>is available on their Internet site at

www.hse.gov.uk.