TECHNICAL INSPECTION AND TESTING


T he 5th


Edition of the IET’s In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment gives updated guidance on procedures used to determine if electrical equipment


is fi t for continued use or whether maintenance is required, e.g. repair or replacement.


This revised edition takes a more considered approach to how electrical equipment maintenance is organised and attempts to reinforce best practice to those responsible for compliance with relevant statutory requirements, i.e. the electrical duty holder. In particular, the demarcation that


exists between the electrical equipment and the electrical installation has been highlighted in Section 4, ‘Equipment scope and the need for maintenance’. This is an area where inspection and testing of fi xed equipment is often not carried out because it has been overlooked during planning of the preventative maintenance work, i.e. it is not included in the extent of the periodic inspection and testing of the fi xed electrical installation and not included in the equipment lists for ‘in-service inspection and testing’. Terminology and specifi c equipment


classifi cations previously used, such as portable and moveable, have also been removed in an attempt to move thinking away from the concept of ‘PAT testing’ and to reinforce that ‘in-service inspection and testing’ is applicable to all electrical equipment being used. The most signifi cant change however is probably removal of the guidance provided in Table 7.1, which gave the initial frequency of inspection and testing of equipment and was extensively used by those setting the frequency of in-service inspection and testing. This should actually be decided using a risk assessment approach and is something that the duty holder should determine.


Guidance on risk assessment is


provided in a new Section 11, ‘The frequency of in-service inspection and testing’, while examples of applying a risk assessment approach in a variety of small installations are provided in a new Appendix 9. Other minor changes


Keep up with the Code


Technical Standards Adviser Bob Cairney outlines some of the changes that Members should be aware of in the revised IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment


include a technical change to the classifi cation of separated extra-low voltage (SELV) equipment. This has been introduced to align with terminology used in product safety standards with new classifi cations of ES1, ES2 and ES3, which replace SELV, ELV and LV respectively. An explanation of these is provided in Appendix 3. Some aspects of protective conductor continuity testing have also been clarifi ed and guidance provided to help operatives select the most appropriate test current to avoid damaging sensitive equipment.


i T e 5th Edition is now


available, priced £60 for SELECT Members. To obtain a copy, call Technical


Services on 0131 445 5577 and quote ‘SELECT stock code 30250’. Alternatively, order direct from www.select.org.uk


Changes to guidance about maintenance of electrical equipment and the frequency of inspection


and test: Pages 32-35 CABLEtalk DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 31


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