As a Business owner keeping costs under control is a key factor in achieving financial success. The HSE are reporting that businesses are wasting nearly £30million every year on electrical safety testing that is not needed. The regulation that covers Electrical Safety Testing is the Electricity at Work regulations 1989 and it states that business owners must maintain electrical equipment if it can cause danger. Like most UK Health & Safety law, the Regulations do not state how you need do this or how often so it is not surprising that confused has arisen. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) services are now widespread and potentially misleading advertising can mean that businesses are buying these services when they are not required.
Does every electrical appliance require a PAT test every year?
No. The regulations state that equipment needs to be maintained to prevent danger and the level of testing depends on the risks e.g. equipment used in a dry, clean office will require less vigorous and frequent testing that equipment used on a building site in wet conditions.
With most office equipment a simple visible check will usually be enough to confirm that the appliance is free from obvious dangerous defects. The check will need to look for loose cables, visible signs of perishing, damage to the plug eg bent pins or scorch marks. Equipment should only be used for what it was designed and intended for eg a domestic kettle is only suitable for a small number of staff to use on a regular basis; if large numbers are using it consideration should be given to a larger kettle or a hot water urn. It is reasonable to assume that new electrical items are safe to use and would remain so, under normal conditions, for a year.
Damaged or defective appliances need to be marked as faulty and removed from use and either repaired by a competent person or disposed of.
A frequent hazard in offices is the use of extension leads or overloaded sockets. Aside from being a major fire risk, they are also trip hazards and increase the chance of someone getting an electric shock. Extension leads should only be used for the number of sockets available and never daisy-chained onto another one. Similarly using extension sockets should be used as directed by the manufacturer.
By simply looking for visible signs of damage most low risk electrical hazards can be managed. Legally, inspected equipment does not need to be labelled as being such although for monitoring purposes it makes sense to do so. Alternatively keep a simple register with the equipment details on it and record the findings and any action taken.
By following some basic advice it is possible for a business to save money and still remain legal by keeping their staff as free as possible from danger. Electrical Safety Testing is still needed and records need to be kept, but some quick common sense checks as outlined in this article will reduce the financial burden for the business.
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Nigel J Welford is a qualified Health & Safety professional and believes in making health and safety as simple as possible whilst still being effective and meeting all the regulations. For his free report "The Secret To How Health & Safety Can Improve Your Business And Profits: 7 Everyday Pitfalls To Avoid" from http://www.healthandsafetyintheworkplace.com
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