Electrical safety: ready for a step change
Chris Edwards, CORGI Technical Services’ Electrical Technical Safety Manager, shares his views on the electrical industry and why he’s keen to highlight effective management, the importance of a ‘ground up’ approach to competence, and drive positive change
E
nsuring electrical safety is managed effectively has been a drum that CORGI has been banging for some time. Whereas the gas sector has stringent legislation in place under the Gas Safety Installation & Use
(Amendment) Regulation 2018, which requires gas safety checks and maintenance to be tested annually, in comparison electrical procedures are often less clear and rely on organisations being made aware of the need to put safety and compliance procedures in place, to ensure resident safety. That’s despite electrical fires making up over 50 per cent of fire incidents in England. In reality, the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act clearly states that providers
must conduct their undertakings in such a way that third parties, which includes tenants, are not exposed to risk. Recently there has been increased focus on electrical safety, which is a welcomed change. This focus highlights the importance of registered providers who set their own policies and procedures to clearly show the arrangements they have put in place to reduce risk.
GAINING A FULLER PICTURE OF ELECTRICAL SAFETY In social housing there is still a need for greater awareness of electrical safety across the board, both from residents themselves, right up to director level. It’s a topic that prompted CORGI and the Association of Electrical Safety Managers
(AESM) to host a roundtable event with the ECA this year, to gain a fuller picture of electrical safety. Feedback at the roundtable provided an insight into the sector’s desire for
clarity: “We need a clear definition of competence for electrical work,” said one roundtable member. “For each discipline, we need to determine what the correct level of knowledge, experience and qualifications are for a specific piece of work, for example between domestic and commercial work.” We also saw team culture identified as another critical element of
competence. Effective communication between teams, contractors and a call for board members to play an active role in encouraging safety procedures were both raised as ways towards reducing risk and improving working practices.
TRAINING: ADOPTING A GROUND-UP APPROACH In the past, senior members of staff extended their electrical safety knowledge to a broader team. However, at CORGI we’ve seen first-hand the benefits of a ‘ground-up’ approach. Kim Morris, CORGI’s head of training and membership, expresses the
importance perfectly, saying: “If you're committed to training all of your team, then you're making a clear statement that you're also committed to the safety of
46 | HMM October/November 2019 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
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