The Importance Of Self-isolation When Working With Electricity 

Working with electricity is inherently dangerous and if you’re in the industry, you’ll be aware that there are stringent health and safety requirements to help you stay safe at work.

However, despite being aware of the risks of working with live electricity, accidents still happen far too often resulting in injury and even death. Unfortunately, the cause of many electrical shock incidents is complacency. Staying safe at work needs to be proactively addressed every day in the workplace.

When it comes to staying safe working with electricity, there is no margin for error. There is never a valid excuse for not having the right equipment, failing to conduct what may seem likerepetitive electrical testing safety checks, cutting corners or making assumptions. Health and safety measures keep workers in all industriesalive, safe and able to go home at the of the day.

One of these is the self-isolation procedure, preventing workers being exposed to live electricity when carrying out work.In this article, phs Compliance looks at what is involved in the self-isolation of electricity, why it is important and how to ensure it’s done properly.

Why are self-isolation procedures important?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that people working on construction sites and on refurbishment and maintenance activities suffer electrical shock every year, leading to burn injuries and, in some cases, death. The HSE also highlights that many accidents are a direct consequence of electricians not implementing safe electrical testing procedures. By rigidly carrying out self-isolation procedures, electricians will keep themselves and fellow colleagues safer at work, reducing the risk of an accident. And if that isn’t enough, it’s also the law as legislation is enforced to protect people from the risk of death or injury from electricity at work.

Is there legislation around self-isolation procedures?

There is both legislation around health and safety in the workplace as well as specific legislation on working with electricity. This includes:

• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

• The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

The legislation requires employers to keep their workers safe at work and that precautions must be taken against the risk of death or injury from electricity in work activities. This includes implementing a safe system of work, having appropriate technical knowledge, training and experience as well as being equipped with suitable tools, test equipment and personal protective equipment. In addition, risk assessments must be undertaken by employers.

Can electricians work on live conductors?

The Electricity at Work Regulations sets out strict conditions relating to working on – or near –live conductors. The Regulations state:

No person shall be engaged in any work activity on or so near any live conductor (other than one suitably covered with insulating material so as to prevent danger) that danger may arise unless:

• It is unreasonable in all the circumstances for it to be dead;

and

• It is reasonable in all the circumstances for him to be at work on or near it while it is live;

and

• Suitable precautions (including where necessary the provision of suitable protective equipment) are taken to prevent injury.

All three conditions must be met for someone to work on or near live conductors. Therefore, aside from in exceptional circumstances, “dead working” is required to work on electrical equipment and circuits which can be achieved through self-isolation.

How to carry out a self-isolation procedure?

1. Identify the correct point of isolation; Plan in advance to identify risks and prepare a safety programme. Be alert for alternative and secondary power sources such as generators and uninterruptible power supplies as well as neutral connections and systems with automatic controls such as timed switch-ons.
2. Cut the power supply and isolate: Use the right method which could include an adjacent local isolation device such as a plug and socket outlet, fused connection unit, switch-disconnector, circuit-breaker or fuse. You may need to isolate and lock off the main switch, distribution board switch disconnector or individual circuits. If this cannot be done, fuses can be removed (and kept by the worker) and replaced by lockable fuse inserts or dummy fusesbefore being padlocked.
3. Secure isolation point: It is essential to ensure the power supply cannot be inadvertently reinstated while the work is in progress. This includes physically locking off the isolation point with a padlock, only giving the unique key or combination code to the person working on the installation. If several people are working on the installation, use multiple locks. Simply using tape over the circuits is not an adequate precaution.
4. Prove conductors are dead: Never assume self-isolation has worked without testing it. This must be doing before any work is carried out by testing the isolating device in both the ON and OFF position. To test, use a proprietary test lamp or two-pole voltage detectorwhich must also be proved to be working in advance.
5. Use caution signs: Place highly visible danger notices at the point of isolation to identifythat work is being carried out and to ensure nobody turns the power back on until all the work is completed.

Note: the legislation makes it clear that testing equipment to prove a circuit is dead must be provided to all employees who regularly work on electrical installations while those who conduct this work occasionally must have ready access. Many accidents are blamed on the lack of the right equipment which is not a valid reason and will likely be in breach of legislation.

Who can help with electrical safety checks and maintenance services?

phs Compliance is the UK’s leading provider of statutory electrical and fire safety testing and inspection services across all sectors. With national coverage, more than 650 staff with 160 electrical engineers and three decades of experience, phs Compliance is fully accredited by all leading industry regulatory bodies. For more details on how we can help you, get in touch today.

To learn more about our what Compliance offers, to get a quote, or simply to ask a query, please feel free to contact us now!