The maze of regulations and rules surrounding businesses may be blinding at the very best of times, but the last thing you wish to do is break a concept that is easy to put in place. Whether you’re a brand new business owner, or manager of an established business with new equipment, electrical safety in the workplace is one requirement that may be easily fulfilled.
Whilst the law doesn’t require electrical testing to be carried out, it does require your electrical equipment to be safe at all times.
Electricity will always find the easiest road to earth. Any faults or weaknesses within your electrical installation or portable appliances can go undetected. In case of another fault developing, this may result in serious threat of fire, electrocution or death. For instance, a 13-amp ring-main without earth continuity could render all metal areas of appliances connected to it “LIVE” if one item on the ring developed a fault to earth.
In 1989 The Electricity at Work Regulations arrived to force, which clarifies the requirement to maintain electrical systems safely. Electric Safety Inspection Services in Delhi Regulations require that “all electrical tools and equipment utilized by construction workers must be safe to use” and that “any electric tools hired out to end-users must be safe to use” ;.In the workplace the regulations specify that employers take steps to limit the danger of harm from electricity and electrical systems, and including both electrical installations and electrical equipment.
These regulations apply to many electrical equipment – consumer, commercial and industrial – operating between 50 volts and 1,000 volts AC or between 75 volts and 1,500 volts DC.
The only path to make sure every effort is made towards a safe workplace, and to make sure you can back up your effort if things go wrong, is to own regular electrical testing carried out on most of the electrical equipment at your workplace. This will accurately identify faults, their locations and usually the recommended solution.
Increasingly, insurers are insisting that inspection and testing be carried out on a regular basis. In the event that you suffer an avoidable accident, then under law if found guilty you will be deemed to own committed a criminal offence. Insurers will not pay fines or compensation suffered caused by a criminal offence
Set alongside the hassle and possible costs of an issue developing, getting your installations and appliances tested is easy and normally quite affordable.
The IEE recommend that Electrical Installations are tested every 10 years (for domestic), 5 years (for commercial) or 3 years (for industrial). With regards to the risk-rating for a particular item, Portable Appliance Testing ought to be carried out every 3-24 months. High risk items include site equipment and workshop equipment, often associated with heavy workloads under arduous conditions, and far prone to develop a fault in a smaller time frame than office equipment.
Worries over power-interruptions and work disruption may be eased, as electrical testing rarely causes such delays. A quick power outage can be anticipated on each circuit within the machine as testing is carried out, but because all of the testing is carried out whilst the machine is still live, these outages may be planned around your daily activities.
When choosing an Electrical Testing Surveyor or other contractor to carry out your tests, ensure they charge by circuit numbers and not living area (which does not have any bearing on how much circuitry there could or might not be in any given square foot). Also ensure you will receive proper and elaborative reports and paperwork for the reports, to offer ample documentation for the efforts.
It can be a good idea to locate a company that holds a certificate from the UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), ensuring they are accredited with the right qualifications and standards for the job.
Finding this type of qualified professional to carry out your electrical testing satisfies all of the legal requirements for the workplace, and covers you and your employees for future years in the eyes of the law – subject, of course, to any remedial work requirements being addressed as identified by testing.