The UK Coalition Government believes that good health and safety is important, but that the burden of excessive health and safety rules and regulations on business has become too great. It claims that a damaging compensation culture has been stifling innovation and growth. It is this view that led to Professor Löfstedt’s report1 and the HSE view that promotes a proportionate risk-based approach when assessing the safety of electrical equipment and appliances, which is the reason behind the publication of the IET’s 4th Edition Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment. Voltimum UK’s managing editor James Hunt reports:
It is indisputable that the periodic in-service testing of electrical equipment (PAT) helps save lives, prevents injuries and reduces the incidence of workplace fires, with is why the IET’s Code of Practice exists.
However, the concern has been that sometimes PAT has been applied in overzealous manner, and in ways that can unnecessarily increase the business costs of compliance for portable appliance equipment owners and end-users. The 4th Edition Code of Practise aims to continue the good work of previous editions in improving workplace safety with regard to portable appliances, but has a new emphasis on risk assessment that is designed to reduce compliance costs without compromising safety.
As previously, this new Code of Practice edition provides guidance to those responsible for the inspection testing and maintenance of electrical appliances. It is mainly aimed at facilities managers, duty holders and electrical contractors and installers contracted to carry out in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment (PAT). Students taking the C&G 2377 series of examinations can also benefit from it.
The Code of Practise enables duty holders to understand the requirements placed on them in law to maintain electrical equipment, using correct documentation, that falls under their control and to understand what inspection and testing involves. It also gives guidance to those carrying out in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment (PAT).
In addition, the Code of Practise provides advice on compliance with health and safety legislation, and shows the required frequency and scope of inspections and testing in different environments.
The book – as the 4th Edition - has been revised to take account of the PAT aspects of Professor Löfstedt’s report1 and the HSE view that promotes a proportionate risk-based approach when assessing the safety of electrical equipment and appliances. This will help users, those responsible for the equipment and testers of the equipment, to maintain safety. Indeed, some believe that millions of pounds could be saved by businesses over the next few years because of the changes to the Code of Practise.
Why a new edition?
The facilities managers and owners of many organisations carry out PAT testing on an annual basis, believing that this is the requirement. In fact, this is not so, as
PAT testing is assessed on an environment’s risk factor.
As a result, it is believed that millions of pounds are wasted each year carrying out PAT testing when it isn’t needed. The new Code of Practice
has been designed to make clearer the rules and regulations of the PAT testing process. This should help ensure that organisations don’t spend money unnecessarily, as many have been doing.
The 4th Edition, therefore, provides advice that allows facilities managers, electricians and other responsible people to make informed decisions about PAT, and a risk assessment takes into account the usage, type and environment of equipment eligible for PAT.
The Code of Practice features
The IET’s Code of Practice 4th Edition features the following aspects of in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment:
Part 1 - guidance on the work that needs to be done.
Part 2 - guidance for those carrying out the practical work.
Part 3 - Appendices.
The main changes:
PAT does not need to be carried out annually unless there are specific risks that require it to be done. Apart from that, the main changes in this 4th Edition are the following:
The new Code of Practice emphasises that PAT must be carried out more often where there is a higher risk of a portable appliance becoming damaged on a day to day basis – remember, therefore, that a risky environment means more regular testing. So, for example, if a portable appliance is being used on a construction site, it is more likely to be damaged than if the same appliance was being used in an office or kitchen, so PAT would need to be undertaken more regularly.
Note that the formal visual inspection may form part of the combined inspection and tests when they coincide, and must be recorded. Note also that it is not normally necessary to test new portable appliance equipment because the manufacturer has already tested them. Battery-operated equipment operating on less than 40V requires no visual or in-service inspection and testing(battery powered drills and other tools that are used in mines are not within the scope of this Code Of Practice).
Will the 4th Edition affect PAT companies?
Manufacturers of PAT equipment, and especially those firms carrying out PAT, are rightly concerned that the IET Code Of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment - 4th Edition may have an adverse effect on their businesses.
Will this be so?
It does not have to be. For the manufacturers of PAT equipment, it will still be necessary to supply it, while there could even be new business opportunities for other PAT companies, such as electrical contractors providing PAT services. Using the 4th Edition’s recommendations, which make it clear that electrical equipment inspection and testing will in future have to be more focused in assessing portable appliance safety risks, those firms supplying PAT services can now use this new risk-based method to communicate what is required in a better, more accurate way to their end-user customers (the PAT equipment owners). This should help them gain extra PAT business, while also helping the manufacturers of PAT equipment longer term. In other words, the charge for each test approach may become only part of an overall service in which the service provider – like electrical contractors carrying out PAT services - can also act as consultants to portable appliance owners and end-users. This should help all concerned in the industry and cut the cost of compliance, while still maintaining safety.
Buy a copy…
The IET’s 155-page Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment - 4th Edition – (ISBN: 978-1-84919-626-0 and product code: PWR02340) is now available at a member price of £35.75, and for non-members, £55.00. Note that it is available now as both a book and an e-book.
1 Professor Löfstedt’s report sets out a number of recommendations that will reduce legal requirements on business that do not lead to improvements in health and safety, and remove pressures on business to go beyond what the law requires, enabling them to reclaim ownership of the management of health and safety.
To learn more about this topic, see other articles and links in this VoltiTECH.
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