In a recent issue of consumer magazine Which?, a report highlighted the significant increase in electrical safety problems with electrical equipment hired from a number of well known high street outlets. Electrical contractors and electricians in general, let alone members of the public, are apparently being exposed to potentially dangerous electrical equipment. Which? went on to say “hirers of power tools and other ancillary equipment have been warned that hired electrical and other equipment may not meet the correct safety standards”.
These serious electrical safety issues came to light in a recent wide and sweeping survey by Which? magazine, covering DIY tools and equipment, which had ostensibly been hired from some of the UK’s major hire companies. Shockingly, as many as half of the items were said to have failed laboratory tests, with a significant number having potentially dangerous electrical problems, such as un-earthed plugs and damaged wires.
There were also concerns over the advice provided by some counter staff about the safety equipment provided with the tools being hired. The article noted that twenty-six tools were tested from different branches of Brandon Hire, HireStation, HSS, Jewson, Speedy, Travis Perkins, plus four independent shops; and HSS was the only company whose tools showed no faults.
At Total Electrical Training, we have long taken the view that any electrical equipment, that is not part of the fixed wiring installation, must be tested, in accordance with the IEE Code of Practice for In service Testing of Electrical Equipment. Total Electrical Training has always advised that any electrical testing on equipment should only be carried out by those who have been trained and have achieved the City and Guilds 2377 qualification, which includes a full “hands-on” training element, as well as a practical examination. As a result of these alarming statistics, the HSE itself have now started to carry out unannounced inspections at numerous construction sites across the UK.
It can’t be stressed highly enough that the employer has a direct care of duty for all employees whilst they are in attendance at the workplace; and thoroughly training those who have a direct responsibility for testing electrical equipment to ensure it is totally safe for themselves and others to use, and ultimately securing the workplace is safe, surely makes good sense.
‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’; it’s an old adage, but it still rings true.
This recently caught our eye as we were ambling along through the highways of the internet:
“With No Previous Experience You Can Re-Train And Enter The Renewable Energy Industry Potentially Earning Between £22,187 And £50,747 pa.” The script then goes on to say “Cash in on the Green Revolution and become a Domestic Green Engineer. Anyone looking for solar and other renewable energy courses must check out this brand new opportunity in the world of green plumbing and heating”
Without being to unkind to whoever has penned this piece of copy, nothing is further from the truth -
So here we put the record straight and yes, you heard it before….. it is about regulations and in this case, protecting the consumer.
So lets look at the Microgeneration scheme or MCS and the feed in tariff side of things.
Firstly, MCS is a certification scheme – it certifies the product or ensures that products meet a minimum standard and it also certifies the installer or installation company – why ? ….well for the consumer to then benefit from the generous feed in tariff (41.3 p per Kwh), the system must have MCS certified product and the products like the inverter must be G83/1 compliant and the installer must be part of a MCS certification scheme – the NICEIC, Elecsa and Napit all have MCS certification schemes…..why not check out our comprehensive section here on our web site click here >>>>
Our main concern here though is that as we saw with Part P, the charlatans and the get rich quick merchants are coming out in force promising the earth and probably delivering an invoice which you will have to pay pronto – so as ever, and I know its boring advice, but once again, buyer beware!
We return again in this post, to the somewhat misunderstood area of Testing and Inspecting.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAW Regulations) have been in force since the
1st of April 1990. This important regulation requires that all electrical systems to be installed and crucially, maintained to a safe standard and to ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken against the risk of death or personal injury from electricity in work activities.
These Regulations are made under The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW Act), with the onus of absolute responsibility resting with employers, who are ultimately responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their employees But what is sometimes disregarded, is that this responsibility is extended to any member of the public who may be on the premises, and to ensure that they too, are not at risk from their activities – there is no exception.
Lets be very clear at this stage – Electricity is a killer and regrettably, even now, there are many avoidable deaths that occur because of unsafe installations.
We see here many instances of unsafe working practices where serious injury or death could arise – amongst those that we hear of are:
• Control of site earthworks, and buried cables
• Use of poorly maintained electrical equipment
• Dangerous Mains 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 – all of which cause
many additional deaths and injuries.
We are now calling upon the great and the good in the electrical industry to try and lobby for a change of attitude and if needs be, a change in the law so that ALL premises – commercial, industrial and domestic – are periodically inspected and tested to the necessary standard to ensure that electrical safety is not compromised.
It came to late though for a single mother of 2 children, who died because of corrosion of the main cpc – to repeat the words of the coroner, “Anyone who has listened to the evidence today cannot but have been starkly reminded of the potential perils of electricity in our homes. But there is no requirement for periodic inspections of electricity in our homes, and that to me, seems inexplicable”
This tragic death can and should have been avoided – please post your comments on this blog