Avoiding shocks in the office
- Contributed By: Alex Hills Health and Safety Adviser From The: Electricity Association
Some advice on electrical testing:
Offices are generally considered 'low-risk' environments as far as electrical hazards are concerned. Although this is true, complacency must still be avoided, electrical accidents do occur in offices with the potential to injure people via shocks or burns and represent one of the major causes of fires. For this reason it is important that equipment is in a safe condition., which is best ensured by an inspection and testing regime. Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1987 contains the general requirement that "as may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent as far as is reasonably practicable, such danger". This applies just as much to offices as it does to potentially more hazardous environments such as factories and building sites.
This requirement has however caused alarm amongst some premises managers, in particular, interpretation of the word 'maintain'. Unscrupulous or misinformed contractors have been known to interpret this as meaning rigorous annual testing for all electrical equipment. However, as with most goal-setting legislation we are now familiar with, requirements are based on principles of risk assessment and reasonable practicability. The level of inspection and testing required will vary greatly with the equipment and environment in which it is used.
Help is at hand
To help employers and premises managers decide how to approach this issue, there are a number of guidance documents available (see references). Particularly relevant to offices is the HSE booklet Maintaining portable electrical equipment in offices and other low risk environments, and more detailed guidance in HS(G)107 The Maintenance of portable and transportable electrical equipment. These guidance documents give straight forward practical advice about when inspection and/or electrical testing is appropriate for various types of equipment. The HSE video Live Wires is also a useful information source.
What do we mean by inspection and testing?
Inspection of equipment implies just that. A visual check for obvious defects such as:
- damaged flexes,
- damaged equipment,
- flexes taped over during unauthorised repairs,
- flexes pulling away from plugs,
- signs of overheating (e.g. burn marks or discolouration), cracked plugs.
Opening of the plug cover will enable further checks to be made:
- is the fuse the correct one
- are the terminals correctly wired and secured.
These can be quick checks by users or more thorough formal visual inspections.
Testing involves the use of a device to check the electrical integrity of the equipment. This can highlight faults such as loss of earth integrity or insulation failure which cannot be determined by visual inspection alone. Simple pass/fail type Portable Appliance Testers (PAT) are available for this. There are also more sophisticated instruments available which give readings of various electrical parameters and clearly need more interpretation.
What levels of inspection and testing are required?
The aforementioned HSE guidance documents give specific advice on testing/inspection regimes, based on the risks posed by the various items of equipment.
Risks are low for equipment which is termed 'double insulated. This means equipment which is constructed with high integrity insulation (usually marker with a ? symbol). Some office computer equipment may come into this category as do some fans. Any such item does not need an earth connection to maintain its electrical safety, since all the external parts are non-conducting. Thus even if a serious fault were to occur, the casing of the item would not become live. There is therefore no need for electrical tests to be carried out, visual inspection would be enough. An inspection frequency of 2-4 years is recommended in the HSE guidance, where the equipment is hardly ever moved, frequencies at the longer end of this range will suffice.
Equipment which is not double insulated, needs to be effectively earthed to protect against a fault which causes the exterior to become live. For this type of equipment (sometimes known as Class 1) testing will be required, typically at frequencies of up to 5 years for office equipment.
Cables and plugs used (or potentially available) to connect to Class 1 equipment and mains voltage extension leads will also need to be tested.
Who is competent to undertake such tasks?
Visual inspection can be undertaken by an employee who has knowledge and understanding of what to look for. Simple PAT testing can also be undertaken by a non-electrical specialist, provided that person has been trained in how to use the equipment. It is important that where such 'lay-people' are used, that they seek further assistance where the limit of their competence has been reached. Basic training and simple written guidance from a competent safety adviser should be provided for such persons. Any equipment failing such tests should be withdrawn from use and sent to a qualified electrician for further testing and repair.
Developing a Maintenance regime
In order to ensure that legal requirements are met, a system needs to be put in place which ensures that:
- All equipment to be maintained is identified
- Type and frequencies of inspection/testing is established. An initial check needs to be undertaken.
- Staff should be discouraged from bringing electrical equipment from home to work. If they do, such equipment must be included in the inspection/test regime.
- Those undertaking Maintenance have appropriate levels of competence.
- Records of inspections/tests should be maintained. Although not strictly a legal requirement, this will enable the employer to keep track of the system and provide evidence of compliance with the legal duty. It is also helpful to place a sticker on each item which has passed its test, indicating when re-testing is required.
The regime should be regularly reviewed to ensure that the intervals are appropriate.
General safety inspections should also help to identify areas of unsafe practice e.g. trailing cables; equipment whose vents are covered and is in danger of overheating; fan heaters on timers which could switch on when the office is un-occupied. Where cable management systems in desks are used, these should be arranged in a safe manner. In one actual office accident, someone received an electric shock when they picked up a loose electric plug. It was discovered that the plug had inadvertently been connected to another plug in a floor plate, via leads passing through two desks whose cable management systems had been connected together in an unauthorised manner!
What if someone is injured?
Qualified first-aiders may be available to deal with any unlikely situations where someone is electrocuted. Where someone makes contact with live electricity, the current must be switched off immediately. If this is not possible and the contact needs to be broken between the injured person and the live item, this should be done with a non-conducting item e.g. dry clothing, layers of paper etc. The patient must then be treated in accordance with standard first aid treatments depending on their condition (e.g. unconscious, not breathing, in a state of shock, burnt etc). An ambulance should be called if doubt exists about the patient's well-being.
References
- Electrical Safety and you. INDG231
- Maintaining portable electrical equipment in offices and other low risk environments. INDG160L
- Maintaining portable electrical equipment in hotels and tourist accommodation. INDG164L
- The Maintenance of portable and transportable electrical equipment. HS(G)107.
- The Electricity Association provide a number of documents and leaflets relating to the safe use of electricity. Telephone 020 7963 5871 for details.
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