We take it for granted. Flick a switch and it’s there in an instant. It is with us everywhere, everyday and we rarely give it thought that we are surrounded by a substance that is extremely hazardous. Of course we are talking about electricity. And whilst we all know its dangers, it is amazing that most of us are far more likely to take greater care when handling a chemical substance or even crossing the road than when we come across a loosely fitted plug or slightly exposed wire.
Perhaps it’s because we cannot see it – who knows?
But if mistreated or handled unsafely, electricity can kill you in an instant, which is a harrowing thought. Every year there are around 1000 accidents at work due to electricity, and in the region of thirty fatalities.
When you consider that non-fatal shocks can have serious consequences such as permanent disability or disfigurement it’s not difficult to appreciate why, as an employer, you must ensure the safety of your staff and anyone else that visits your premises.
After all, an electrical shock can result in a wide number of injuries including:
- Muscle spasm and loss of muscular control
- Pain
- Brain damage
- Internal bleeding
- Disruption and damage to the nervous system
- Damage to internal organs and tissue
- Burns
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But it’s not just the direct effect an electrical shock can have on a person that makes it such a danger.
We all know that the surprise of even the slightest shock can ‘make us jump’ which can then lead to another type of injury. There are many cases where a quite harmless electrical shock has resulted in a fall or a slip, which has led to a much more serious injury. It is also the case that individuals using electricity are not always the only ones at risk. Poor installations and faulty equipment can lead to fires, which may also cause death or injury. Most of these accidents can be avoided through careful planning and simple safety procedures.
What is an Electric Shock?
An electrical shock is when you come into contact with a source of electricity. This could be a bare or poorly insulated wire, open live circuits or when a machine has become faulty resulting in the equipment becoming live. The effect of the shock is that you will have electricity passing through your body from the point of contact to the point where the electricity leaves the body to earth. The majority of shocks are from hand to foot. The severity of the shock depends on the size of the current and the length of time you are connected to the electrical circuit, and it often surprises people when they learn that as little as 50 milliamps could kill you. Your resistance to the electrical current is also weakened if the point of contact is wet or damp, which means even sweaty hands, can greatly increase your level of risk.
What Must You Do As An Employer?
There are various pieces of legislation that affect electricity in the workplace. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Section 2 states that “it is the duty as far as reasonably practicable to ensure the health safety and welfare of all employees”, and naturally this includes protection against electric shock. More specifically, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 state that “All electrical systems are to be constructed and maintained so as to prevent danger at all times”.
It continues that you must “ensure that all work activities including the operation and maintenance of a system and any work near a system is carried out in such a way as to not give rise to danger”
Then there is the Management of Heath Safety Work Regulations 1999 which says that
- “Every employer shall make suitable and sufficient assessments of: -
- The risks to the Health and Safety of his/her employees to which they are exposed whilst at work
- The risk to the Health and Safety of all persons not in his/her employment"
To comply with the above regulations it is important to undertake suitable and sufficient risk assessments of all electrical systems. These risk assessments should identify all electrical hazards and individuals who may be injured whilst handling or using any electrical equipment. When the assessment has been completed, suitable control measures should be implemented to reduce the risk to the lowest level.
As an example, a phrase you will probably be familiar with is “PAT” – (Portable Appliance Testing).
This is one such control measure that should be put into practice and helps an organisation comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 through the regular testing of all portable electrical appliances. PAT testing has led to confusion in the past with some people believing that appliances must be tested every twelve months by a qualified electrical engineer. This sounds pretty expensive when you are trying to run a business!
The truth is that the time periods are determined by the duty holder and based on the level of risk identified within the business’s assessments. Some transportable electrical equipment, such as a desk lamp, which are normally supplied from a plug and socket and are rarely handled or moved are not be likely to be subjected to mechanical damage. Equipment of this nature is therefore less likely to need frequent testing and can have a similar procedure as the main electrical circuits within the building. This testing and examination procedure is generally accepted as five years for both business and commercial premises.
However, beware, as these conditions do not apply to all office equipment. Frequently used items, such as floor cleaners, kettles, and free standing electric heaters, that may suffer abuse and damage, will need to be inspected and tested more frequently.
In summary, there are three main types of PAT inspections that you should adopt within your business.
- Visual inspection - looking for evidence of damage to an appliance, plug, or cable. Faults should be reported immediately and the equipment taken out of use until it is repaired or replaced.
- Formal visual inspections - an inspection undertaken by a competent person. This can be a member of staff, as long as they have had appropriate training to know what to look for and what is acceptable. They must also have the experience and knowledge to undertake the task.
- Combined inspection and tests – this is the periodic inspection and testing of any appliance used extensively and therefore likely to have wear and tear on its cables, terminals and the equipment itself.
This testing procedure should be undertaken if there is the slightest reason to suspect that the equipment may be defective. It should also occur after any repairs, modification or similar work, and at periods appropriate to the use of the equipment and its environment.
But you mustn’t just focus on portable electrical equipment. To comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the 16th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations, all mains electrical installations within a building should be tested by a competent electrical engineer on a regular basis.
Routine annual checks should also be undertaken to determine the standard of the electrics, circuits should have a combined inspection and test every five years (or at a frequency determined by the engineer undertaking the task), and specialist electrical equipment may have specific testing requirements. For example fire alarms should be checked daily, weekly, monthly and annually to guarantee they function correctly as their failure could mean loss of lives.
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For more than a decade Citation plc has been helping businesses achieve health and safety compliance. Citation plc offers a fixed price health and safety and employment law consultancy service in order to help our clients comply with legislation. 
