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An Insight Into The Latest Electrical Safety Standards

At Robinsons we carry out installations and inspection and testing work in a whole host of different environments and industries, and as such we need to be fully prepared with a roster of engineers who are trained, competent and experienced for all the different projects we work on. Naturally, safety standards are very high in these industries, particularly as we are involved in projects valued at up to £2million. But not only that, those safety standards are constantly changing and we have to keep up with them; to ensure the safe installation of our projects and to ensure we stay competitive.

Much of our work is dealing with low voltage distribution such as energy metering and monitoring and installations such as lighting, CCTV and security, fire alarm systems, data and telecommunications. Of course there is electrical wiring work involved in installing heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and we also carry out inspection and testing services relating to all our installations, plus PAT Testing of equipment and appliances. All this work has to meet the requirements of the IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition; guidance on Electrical Installations. Low voltage work is also governed by a European Directive the ‘Low Voltage Directive’ (2006/95/EC) which is covered in the UK by the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. This places specific duties on the design, manufacture and supply of electrical equipment within 50 – 1000 volts ac and 75 – 1500 volts dc.

In general, where installations are concerned the safety legislation covers some common ground:

*Preparation: site visits, permits, schematic layout drawings, being aware of all site safety features and procedures.

*Secure isolation of all sources of energy.

*Implementing a safe system of work while equipment is isolated.

*Making allowances for the environment and what condition equipment and/or wiring may be in or needs to be in.

*Ensuring the equipment being installed is suitable for both the task in hand and the environment it is being installed in.

*Ensuring all our personnel are competent, ie. they have the training, accreditation and experience to work with this equipment and in these conditions.

The IEE Regulations 17th Edition covers all these requirements but the safety demands we adhere to at Robinsons go much further than that. There are various accreditations required to cover the specific industries we work in, and our engineers need to be fully trained and accredited before they are allowed onto site and to work with electrical equipment in certain conditions. Some of these accreditations include BREEAM (which is a widely-used environmental assessment method), CSCS (for working in the construction industry), PASMA (which covers the use of mobile access towers) and IPAF (for the use of cherry pickers).  Another common accreditation that all our electrical engineers must have is covered by NICEIC, the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting. This body exists to protect consumers from unsafe electrical work, and our engineers undertake annual assessments against the national safety standard BS7671: Requirements for Electrical Installations, in order to maintain themselves as NICEIC approved contractors.

As you can see, our electrical engineers are very tightly controlled and we take great pride in having a body of staff who are tested to very high standards and who maintain these standards on all our projects. A great deal of time and resources goes into complying with the various safety requirements and we think this dedication is reflected in our industry standing and our reputation for delivering a professional service, on budget and with ongoing support.

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