INSPECTION AND TESTING TECHNICAL
By Bob Cairney I Eng MIET Technical Standards Adviser, SELECT
W
ith the easing of restrictions leading to the reopening of our economy and society from 26 April
onwards, many businesses will now be busily preparing to welcome back employees, customers and clients. It is therefore timely to remind those with health and safety responsibilities in such businesses of the importance of ensuring that the electrical installations and equipment in their workplace premises are safe and operational prior to reopening. Workplace premises have been closed for a significant period of time, in particular those in the hospitality sector such as bars, cafes, B&Bs, guest houses and hotels, and those used for leisure activities, including shops, gyms, swimming pools, libraries and museums. Although it’s unlikely that significant
damage and deterioration will have occurred to electrical installations and equipment during this time, there will still be certain areas that definitely need checking to ensure that they remain operational, e.g. supplies for emergency lighting, fire detection and alarm systems, security alarms, etc. However, the safety of the electrical
installations and equipment will more generally depend on their condition before the forced closure and how they may or may not have been maintained.
40 CABLEtalk JUNE/JULY 2021
Return from lockdown – take 3!
Health and safety responsibilities and maintenance
The dutyholder responsible for health and safety within workplace premises should be aware of the need to comply with relevant legislation, such as Regulation 4 (2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which specifically requires that suitable maintenance be carried out to prevent danger as far as is reasonably practicable. To comply with this regulation and
other statutory requirements, suitable maintenance procedures should be in place, including routine checks and regular inspection and testing of the fixed wiring of the electrical installation and the equipment connected to it. Routine checks and regular inspection and testing are a recommended part of preventative maintenance because they can help identify damage, deterioration, defects and dangerous conditions that exist, and items of maintenance that may be required.
The dutyholder can then take action to organise any necessary remedial work,
thus keeping their premises safe, operational and compliant with the law. Periodic inspection and testing (PI&T) of the fixed wiring and in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment (ISITEE) is a recommended part of this, and commonly undertaken in many workplaces for these reasons.
Note: PI&T is not the only option available to a dutyholder when establishing an effective management plan for preventative maintenance. Continuous monitoring and maintenance of the installation and all its constituent equipment can also provide an effective method of preventative maintenance when operated by one or more skilled person competent in such work.
Frequency of routine checks, inspection and testing and keeping records The frequency of routine checks and inspection and testing is an important part of ensuring that preventative maintenance measures implemented
To help the return to premises from the first lockdown last June, we advised on a number of measures to ensure electrical installations and equipment were safe and working correctly. With businesses and their staff now returning from lockdown No3, here’s an update on the inspection and testing measures required, with some important changes introduced since our original article
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