INSPECTION AND TESTING TECHNICAL
O
By Bob Cairney I Eng MIET Technical Standards Adviser, SELECT
ne of the most significant differences in the new 5th Edition is the removal of Table 7.1, which provided guidance on the initial frequency of inspection and testing of equipment.
This has been commonly used by those who organise and carry out in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment to determine how often electrical equipment such as hand-held and portable equipment should be checked to ensure its continuing safety and correct operation. Table 7.1 was only ever intended to be used as initial guidance when establishing a maintenance programme for the equipment put into service in the workplace, and was never intended to be taken in any way as a legal requirement for ongoing maintenance purposes. However, it has become commonplace to adopt the timescales given without further consideration to determining what the appropriate frequency for specific equipment might be. The duty holder should be considering the risks associated with use of the equipment and using the risk assessment approach that has been recommended since the Lofstedt Report and the introduction of the previous version of the Code of Practice (COP) in 2012.
This has probably resulted in a lot of unnecessary inspection and testing being undertaken in the workplace that would otherwise not be required, e.g. in some lower risk workplaces and
Passing the test
on some classes of equipment. It was therefore decided that the table should be removed during the recent revision.
Duty holders’ responsibilities As in previous versions, it is highlighted in this version of the COP that it is the duty holder’s responsibility to ensure that adequate maintenance is carried out on the electrical systems under their control. This obviously includes all of the electrical equipment connected to the fixed wiring whether connected using a plug and socket-outlet or using a fixed connection point.
Carrying out maintenance as necessary will enable the duty holder to comply with Regulation 4 (2) of the Electricity at Work (EAW) Regulations 1989 and inspection and test programmes are normally implemented to help identify if maintenance is required or not. However, the EAW Regulations do not specify how often electrical equipment needs to be assessed and the 5th Edition highlights this, stating: “There are no specified timescales in law or in the Code of Practice for the frequency of inspection and testing of electrical equipment.” To determine this, it says the duty holder should carry out a “robust risk assessment in all cases to evaluate the frequencies between inspection and testing of equipment”.
32 CABLEtalk DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 SAFETY SIGN
Te COP also contains an example inspection and testing workplace poster to highlight user checks. It can be downloaded from the IET website at
bit.ly/33a8SdQ
One of the many changes in the revised IET Code of Practice concerns the maintenance of electrical equipment and the frequency of inspection and test. We take a closer look at this new guidance and how it could affect your work
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