UPDATED GUIDANCE ON SAFE MAINTENANCE OF PORTABLE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

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UPDATED GUIDANCE ON SAFE MAINTENANCE OF PORTABLE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
26 August 2004 - HSE InfoLine

"Maintaining portable and transportable electrical equipment" gives practical advice on how to maintain equipment in a safe condition and prevent accidents. It covers equipment that may be connected to either fixed mains or a locally generated supply, and that could result in an electric shock, burn or fire due to damage, wear or misuse. First published in 1994, this second edition contains updated advice, with new sections on cables and the repair and replacement of equipment.

The Health and Safety Executive has recently updated its popular guide aimed at employers, employees and the self-employed who use, or have control over, portable or transportable electrical equipment.

The guidance applies to a wide variety of equipment, used in all environments, from electric drills and extension leads, to floor cleaners, pressure water cleaners and electric kettles. It includes advice on what the legal requirements for maintenance of electrical equipment can mean in practice and guidance on how to carry out a risk assessment in this area.

The maintenance strategy recommended by the guide is based on a straightforward, inexpensive system of visual inspections that can be undertaken by an appointed employee. In addition, a person with appropriate skill and technical knowledge should test equipment periodically.

Neil Gove, HSE Electrical Specialist Inspector, said:
"Nearly a quarter of all reportable electrical accidents involve portable or transportable equipment. The vast majority of these accidents result in electric shock. If you use such equipment in your workplace, this guide can help you to maintain it in a safe condition and prevent such accidents from occurring."

Copies of "Maintaining portable and transportable electric equipment, 2nd edition", ISBN 0 7176 2805 1, HSG107, price £7.95, are available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2WA (tel: 01787 881165 or fax: 01787 313995) or can be ordered online at http://www.hsebooks.com. HSE publications are also available from good bookshops.

http://www.hse.gov.uk

About: HSE InfoLine
Britain's Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for the regulation of almost all the risks to health and safety arising from work activity in Britain.

The HSE looks after health and safety in nuclear installations and mines, factories, farms, hospitals and schools, offshore gas and oil installations, the safety of the gas grid and the movement of dangerous goods and substances, railway safety, and many other aspects of the protection both of workers and the public. Local authorities are responsible to HSC for enforcement in offices, shops and other parts of the services sector.

The HSC is sponsored by the Department of Work and Pensions and is ultimately accountable to the Minister of State for Work, the Right Honourable Jane Kennedy MP.

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