Each year around 20 people die from electric shock or electric burns whilst at work, and about a further 30 die from electrical accidents in the home. Most of these accidents are preventable if proper safe working procedures are followed.

Electric shock is not the only hazard. Where electrical arcing occurs, perhaps as a result of accidental short circuit, the heat generated can be intense and, even if it persists for only a very short time, it can cause deep-seated and slow-healing burns. Electricians often fail to appreciate the very real risk of injury that can arise from arcing. As a result, there are several hundred serious burn accidents each year arising from unsafe working practices. The intense ultraviolet radiation from an electric arc can also cause damage to the eyes.
Arcing, overheating and, in some cases, electrical leakage currents can cause fire or explosion by igniting flammable materials. This can cause death, injury and considerable financial loss.


[Electrical Fire]

1]
Nearly a quarter of all reportable electrical accidents involve portable equipment. The vast majority of these accidents result in electric shock. This page gives advice on how to maintain portable and transportable electrical equipment safely and avoid such accidents. This new edition contains updated advice, with new sections on cables and repair/replacement.

2]
This guidance covers equipment that may be connected to the fixed mains supply, or to a locally generated supply, and could result in an electric shock or burn, or fire due to damage, wear or misuse.

3]
This page should assist employers, employees and the self-employed who use, or have control over, portable or transportable electrical equipment. It describes what action can be taken to maintain the equipment in a safe condition, wherever it is used, and help prevent danger arising. The recommended maintenance strategy is based on a straighforward, inexpensive system of visual inspection that can be undertaken by an employee. The strategy is explained in more detail in the section labelled "Strategy" to the left. People in control are, however, free to take other action or use alternative control measures that achieve an equivalent standard of safety.

4]
Portable and transportable electrical equipment should only be used for its intended purpose, and in the environment it was designed for. Maintenance will not allow safe use of equipment in circumstances it is not inteneded for, eg using a table lamp as a hand lamp, or equipment that is not waterproof in a wet environment.

5]
Major items of plant, such as vehicles, cranes and generators, are beyond the scope of this guide, as are electromedical equipment and electrostatic spraying equipment, and equipment used below ground in mines, for which there are special requirements.

6]
Specialised business equipment, such as computers, printers, photocopiers etc, does not present the same degree of risk as equipment such as electric drills, providing the leads and plugs are protected from mechanical damage or stress. Movement, and therefore damage through being moved, is less likely to occur, and the equipment is often double-insulated and used in a dry, clean environment with non-conducting floors.

7]
Detailed information on inspection and testing of electrical equipment has been produced by the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE). This document gives guidance both for those with management responsibility for electrical maintenance, but who may have little technical knowledge, and for those who actually carry out the inspections and tests. The recommendations on what may be considered to be 'pass' or 'fail' conditions. In the past there has been an unnecessarily high failure rate for certain types of equipment, often due to insufficient information or knowledge.

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