3 Simple Steps to Keep Your Company’s Electrics Compliant

Electrical safety is vital for businesses and employees throughout Yorkshire. Thankfully, there are a number of regulations like Electricity at Work (1989) and Health and Safety at Work (1974) that outline how things should be done, with a view to keeping everyone safe.

The question is how exactly you stay on top of those regulations to protect visitors and staff. In other words, what does your business need to do to stay compliant? Here are three simple steps…

1. Get your installation checked

An electrical installation is the heart of most businesses. It powers practically everything you do on site, from computers and machinery to the kettle for your coffee breaks. That’s exactly why it’s number one on the list for electrical compliance.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a quick and easy way to make sure your building’s electrical installation is running effectively and without faults. A qualified and competent contractor will check for things like defective work, overloaded circuits and unsafe wiring.

You’ll get a report outlining any recommended or required remedial work to bring it in line with the BS 7671 standard. They will also tell you how often EICRs should be carried out to keep your site safe.

2. Then your appliances

Next on the list are your electrical appliances. This applies to everything from phone chargers up to larger printers and photocopiers – anything that’s plugged into a socket or generator.

In this case, the best way to stay compliant is with Portable Appliance Testing – or PAT testing for short. It’s a routine inspection and test, again by someone who is qualified and competent, to make sure appliances are safe and well maintained.

Appliances that pass will be recorded with a due date recommended for the next test. That will depend on the type of appliance, how often it’s used and the environment it’s used within. Items that fail will need to be replaced or have the recommended repairs before they can be used again.

3. Report your energy use

While it’s not necessarily related to safety, another area of electrical compliance comes from the way you use energy. Over the past decade, the Government has launched two schemes that require large undertakings to monitor and report the energy they use and the resulting emissions.

They are the Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) and the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting framework (SECR), which both include electricity usage. ESOS is required every four years, while SECR is an annual responsibility. You can manage both in-house, or get help from an external company.

Stay compliant, stay safe

Electrical compliance is all about protecting your company along with staff and visitors. By following the three steps above, you can make sure people are safe on site as well as safeguarding your company from potential penalties for non-compliance.

For more information on electrical compliance for Yorkshire businesses, visit: voltacompliance.com/electrical-compliance/