Are You Maintaining Electrical Safety – or Just Fixing Problems?

Electrical systems rarely announce that something is about to go wrong. A loose connection, damaged cable or overloaded circuit can remain unnoticed until it causes disruption—or creates a serious safety risk.

That’s why regular electrical inspections and planned maintenance matter. They can help identify deterioration early, keep equipment in better condition and give you a clearer picture of the risks across your premises.

Preventative maintenance beats waiting for a fault

Reactive maintenance means acting after something has failed. It can lead to unexpected downtime, urgent repair costs and disruption to your people or operations.

Preventative maintenance takes a different approach: inspect, assess and address issues before they become bigger problems. If possible, carry out maintenance activities that will identify potential failures so that you can plan in remedial action before the failure happens. A suitable inspection programme can help you prioritise work and plan maintenance around your operational needs.

Electrical Safety UK have developed an electrical maintenance model for a range of equipment types. The maintenance activities in the model are based on the failure modes of specific types of equipment. The model covers 34 equipment types from Alternators to UPSs. Shown below is 6 of the 13 activities that could be applied to a generic electrical heater:

Ex Enclosure failure: Carry out hazardous area enclosure inspection (Apply BS EN 60079 requirements and add those requirements to the computerised maintenance management system for the relevant item).

Approx. time to carry out activity =   20 mins.

Frequency of activity = 2 yearly.

Ingress Protection Failure: Check/replace enclosure seal. Open the equipment, where ingress has occurred clean out and examine internals for damage, carry out appropriate repairs. Replace seals with new, apply protective coatings where applicable.

Approx. time to carry out activity = 30 mins.

Frequency of activity = 2 yearly.

Condensation build up inside equipment: Check anti condensation heaters. Carry out measurement/analysis of the equipment anti-condensation heater insulation and continuity resistance. Insulation test should be >1MΩ. Heater resistance typically 250-1kΩ.

Approx. time to carry out activity = 15 mins.

Frequency of activity = 2 yearly.

Heater element failure: Visual inspection of element for signs of degradation. Examine element supports and check for colour changes in the element. Use thermal imaging to identify temperature gradients and trend against historical data.

Approx. time to carry out activity = 15 mins.

Frequency of activity = 4 yearly.

Insulation failure: Insulation Resistance (IR) checks – carry out IR measurement/analysis/trending of the equipment/winding insulation. Use appropriate test voltages e.g.: 500v test on 415v equipment. Arrange repairs for any low IR not recoverable at installed location. Typically for low voltage equipment the insulation resistance >1MΩ. Use thermal imaging to identify temperature gradients and trend against historical data.

Approx. time to carry out activity = 30 mins.

Frequency of activity = 2 yearly.

Termination failure: Physically examine terminations and wiring looking for loose connections and signs of overheating, tighten any loose connections found and/or schedule repairs accordingly. Use thermal imaging to identify temperature changes when compared to historical data.

Approx. time to carry out activity = 15 mins.

Frequency of activity = 2 yearly.

The hidden risks in neglected systems

Electrical equipment and installations can deteriorate over time. Changes to how a building is used, ageing components, wear and tear, or previous repairs may all affect safety and reliability.

Without regular checks, these issues can be easy to miss. A system that appears to be working normally isn’t necessarily free from risk.

Electrical Safety UK have developed a procedure for the management of ageing and obsolescence of electrical equipment based upon EMMUA 227 guidance. In this procedure there are a number of tools that can be used to assess twelve generic equipment types for example oil filled transformers, cables and variable speed drives. Assessment using the tools is risk based and considers the age of the equipment, it’s expected life and other factors to determine if any action needs to be taken. Expected equipment life guidance is also given in the procedure. This procedure can be customised for your business and used to put a structured, risk-based plan in place for addressing ageing and obsolete electrical equipment.

Common maintenance myths

“If it’s working, it’s safe.”

Not always. Some faults aren’t obvious during everyday use.

“We’ll inspect it when something goes wrong.”

By then, the issue may already have caused damage, disruption or a safety concern.

“One inspection is enough.”

Inspection needs can change as equipment, buildings and working practices change. A programme should reflect your circumstances.

Electrical safety is more than fixing problems as they arise. It’s about understanding your risks and taking a planned, proportionate approach to managing them.

Are you maintaining electrical safety—or just fixing problems?

Electrical Safety UK can help you review your inspection programme and identify practical next steps. We have a huge suite of model procedures and tools that can be customised to exactly meet your business’ specific needs.

Get in touch to arrange an inspection programme review.