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Electricity kills and injures people; around 1000 electrical accidents at work are reported to HSE each year and about 30 people die of their injuries.
Many deaths and injuries arise from:
- use of poorly maintained electrical equipment;
- work near overhead power lines;
- contact with underground power cables during excavation work;
- work on or near 230 volt domestic electricity supplies;
- use of unsuitable electrical equipment in explosive areas such as car paint spraying booths;
- fires started by poor electrical installations and faulty electrical appliances cause many additional deaths and injuries.
Work on electrical equipment, machinery or installations should be:
- Planned
All work should be thoroughly planned so that it can be done safely and so that the completed installation or equipment is safe.
- Conducted by Competent Persons
People working on electrical equipment, machinery or installations must be competent to do so. The level of competence required to do a task is dependent upon the complexity of that task and the amount of knowledge required. Assessing the suitability of an individual to do a task requires evidence of:
- Training to an appropriate level in the area of work
- Experience of achieving a suitable standard in similar work.
- Regular reassessment.
People who cannot demonstrate competence should not be allowed to work unless they are supervised by someone who is.
The Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 provides information on competence.
- Conducted using Suitable Equipment and Work Standards
Equipment that is installed should be suitable for the task it will perform and the environment within which it will be expected to work. A wide range of electrical equipment and work is covered by recognised standards that offer guidance on good engineering practice. For example, BS7671:2001 Requirements for electrical installations, IEE Wiring Regulations, Sixteenth Edition offers guidance on the requirements for the construction and testing of electrical installations.
A European Directive, the Low Voltage Directive (73/23/EC), places duties on the design, manufacture and supply of electrical equipment within the voltage ranges 50 - 1000 volts ac or 75 - 1500 volts dc. This Directive is implemented in Great Britain by the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. These require electrical equipment to be safe and to conform to certain essential safety requirements.
The information on this page was sourced from the HSE web site.
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