Plug in to safer working
June 1st 2008

Every year, a number of people working on construction sites suffer electric shock and burn injuries. Tragically, some of these accidents result in loss of life, but even non-fatal shocks can cause severe and permanent injury. Most of these 'accidents' are preventable explains Mike Clark, technical director at the Electrical Safety Council While it's true that electrical accidents can (and do) happen in any place of work, construction sites present one of the most difficult and hazardous environments for working with electricity.

Work is often performed out of doors, and in wet or damp conditions, which increases the risk of injury. There may be a number of trades working in the same area at any one time. And, there may be commercial pressures to carry out work on or near live conductors in order to get the job done sooner.

To reduce the number of deaths and major injury incidents involving electricians on construction sites, it is not surprising that employers and electrical installers are coming under increasing pressure to comply fully with their statutory health and safety duties, and rightly so.

Employers have a legal obligation to ensure that all employees involved in work on or near electrical installations and equipment are competent, and employees should be instructed on, and trained in, the implementation of safe systems of work. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 sets out the general health and safety duties of employers, employees and the selfemployed.

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which were made under the Act, require precautions to be taken against the risk of death or injury from electricity in work activities.

Building contractors should be aware that they have duties under the law to ensure, among other things, that employees engaged in such work activities on or near electrical equipment implement safety systems of work, have the technical knowledge, training or experience to carry out the work safely, and are provided with suitable tools, test equipment and personal protective equipment.

Equally, employees are required to co-operate with their employer to enable the requirements of the Regulations to be met.

It is essential from the outset that effective management and control of the system, apparatus and equipment used on site is achieved and maintained, thereby ensuring that the hazards and risks which can arise are minimised.

The Regulations are very clear that work on or near live circuits where there is a risk of touching live conductors is only permissible where it is unreasonable to work 'dead', it is reasonable to work live, and where suitable precautions have been taken to prevent injury. It should be noted that inconvenience, lost time or cost factors are not considered 'reasonable' circumstances for carrying out live working.

The Electrical Safety Council is aware that pressure is too often placed on electrical contractors to energise circuits before the electrical installation is complete to accommodate building designers, clients, the main contractor or finishing trades. But this practice, except in some very specific circumstances and where appropriate measures have been taken to prevent injury, will mean they are breaking the law.

Electrical contractors should energise circuits for use by others only when they have received a written request from the main contractor or contractor's agent, and the circuits have been fully inspected, tested and verified as safe to use.

When an electrical circuit is energised in this manner the building contractor's duties in law extend to ensuring that any person or trades entering completed and energised areas are made aware of the extent of live services within it.

They also have a responsibility to ensure that their electrical contractors implement safe isolation procedures where electrical services are energised prior to completion and handover of the installation.

However, unsafe practices continue to occur and while they do we will continue to see tragic, preventable deaths and injuries. Building contractors and electrical installers are strongly advised to resist any commercial pressure brought to bear on them to permit live working especially by anyone having no legal responsibility for electrical safety on site.