Electrical Safety

The law requires electrical equipment to be maintained to prevent danger. The type and frequency of user checks, inspections and testing needed will depend on the equipment, the environment in which it is used and the results of previous checks.

Electrical equipment should be visually checked to spot early signs of damage or deterioration. Equipment should be more thoroughly tested by a competent person often enough that there is little chance that the equipment will become dangerous between tests. Equipment that is used in a harsh environment should be tested more frequently than equipment that is less likely to become damaged or unsafe.

 

It is good practice to assess how often equipment being used for work purposes should be tested, write down your findings, make sure the testing is carried out, and write down the results of the tests.

 

 

Electrical installations should be tested often enough that there is little chance of deterioration leading to danger. Any part of an installation that has become obviously defective between tests should be de-energised until the fault can be fixed.

 

You should have your electrical installation inspected and tested by a person who has the competence to do so, such as an Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) , National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) , or The Electrical Contractors' Association of Scotland (SELECT)  approved electrical contractor. These can be found in the Yellow Pages.

 

It is possible to do simple checks on your installation using an electrical socket tester. This is a device that can be plugged into a socket outlet, and can identify if there is a wiring fault. However, be aware that many types of socket tester cannot detect certain types of fault, and could indicate the socket is safe when it is not. Read the information provided by HSE on Electrical Socket Testers.