News & views from ESUK

Lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion) are revolutionising the automotive industry by powering electric vehicles (EVs), offering high energy density, lightweight design, and sustainable mobility solutions. However, alongside their benefits, understanding and mitigating the fire risks associated with these batteries is crucial for ensuring the safety of EVs and their passengers. These vehicles, under certain conditions, can pose fire risks due to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway.

The world is undergoing a significant shift towards renewable energy sources, and battery storage systems are playing a pivotal role in this transition. In the UK, these systems are crucial for achieving a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

The purpose of an Authorisation of Electrical Personnel Procedure is to describe the general procedures and methods that should be adopted to ensure that all Electrical personnel who carry out work on Electrical Distribution Systems or equipment connected to them are, and continue to be, competent to carry out the duties of their role.

The purpose of a Management of Ageing and Obsolete Electrical Equipment Procedure is to set out how the ageing and obsolescence of electrical equipment should be managed within your business or site. The procedure should provide a proactive system for managing specific ageing and obsolete electrical assets.

Earthing is defined in BS 7671 as the connection of exposed conductive parts of an installation to the main earthing terminal of that installation. Whilst this may be a useful definition, it does not fully encompass the full meaning of earthing, bonding and automatic disconnection of supply.

Electrical Safety UK services to the water industry have included writing electrical safety rules and supporting procedures for household name companies and training 1000s of direct staff and contractors, including designing and delivering competence assessments.

Electricity is a hazard, as it is dangerous and may cause harm. If properly managed, the likelihood of electrical hazards is minimal, but the severity when things go wrong can be fatality or life-changing.

This is often a question we get asked, and in many cases, our reply is, ‘why do people need to go into an electrical control panel’? Demands on maintenance and service engineers often means that there is a lack of available competent persons who can react quickly when things stop working.

We are often asked, what an ESMS should contain. This question has prompted me to write a series of articles looking at the different aspects of these vital documents. Here is the second article in that series. 

The answer is both yes and no. Regulation 4(1) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 states, ‘all systems shall at all times be of such construction to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, danger’. In this instance, the term construction refers to an electrical system’s design, construction, and operation, including equipment that forms part of that system.

In the past nearly all large industrial sites would have at least one chartered or degree qualified electrical engineer on the staff.

What is an electrical control panel? An electrical control panel is an enclosure, typically a metal box or plastic moulding which contains important electrical components that control and monitor a number of mechanical processes.

As most of Britain enjoys an unseasonably warm summer, many of us are forced to suffer the torture of heat whilst at work.

How much change is there between the 17th Edition and the latest updates of BS 7671 to the 18th Edition? How much will it affect you and your business?

People often underestimate the risks that simple factors play in electrical safety, from missing bolts in panel doors, un-blanked openings, corroded enclosures and ingress of liquids or dust. We explore some of the most common hazards below:

The 18th Edition has been with us now for 9 months and since January has been the defacto standard to which all electrical installation work should comply. For those who have remained abreast of amendments 1, 2 and 3 of the 17th Edition, the 18th Edition and its changes should pose little concern.

The Greek Philosopher Heraclitus is credited with the phrase “The only thing that is constant is change.” That is certainly the case with the new 2018 Edition of IEEE 1584 ‘IEEE Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations’. Almost everything has changed – except the title! The first edition of IEEE 1584 was published on September 23, 2002

By Andy Linley, Compliance Director

This week I worked with a site engineer in isolating a supply to a section board. All went well with identifying the place of work and the point of isolation, along with obtaining permission to isolate.

Globally, Coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting the lives of many businesses and individuals. Employers are implementing policies and procedures never seen before to help ensure businesses survive. These are trying times, but the usual bulldog British spirit is already shining through.

Coming into force on the 1st April 1990 Regulation 3 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 introduced the term ‘Duty Holder’, or more specifically ‘persons on whom duties are imposed’. The introduction to HSE publication HSR 25: Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Guidance on the Regulations clarifies in paragraph 5 that ‘[t]he guidance is primarily for duty holders (including those involved in the design, construction, operation or maintenance of electrical systems and equipment), engineers, technicians and their managers’.

The statistics are out for period 2017-2018 relating to fatalities reported to the Health and Safety Executive. The good news is that only two fatalities occurred as a result of coming into contact with electrical energy, one was an employee and the other was self-employed. This represents 1.4% of the total reportable workplace fatalities.

You cannot smell, hear, or see electricity, so making sure you have the right systems in place to manage this hazardous energy is critical to the wellbeing of your employees and your Company. 

A question that is often asked is how often should my electrical equipment be tested at work? Often referred to as PAT Testing (which in itself is incorrect as it becomes Portable Appliance Testing- Testing) the In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment is required by regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The regulation requires equipment that may become dangerous if neglected to be maintained to prevent such danger from arising. HSR 25, Guidance on the Regulations identifies inspection and testing as being a means of verifying that maintenance is effective, but recognises that other methods of compliance do exist.

DSEAR stands for Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations. It is important to learn about DSEAR in the workplace to identify serious hazards and know how to assess the risk involved.

Switching off the supply of electricity to allow for safe working is legally mandated, with work on or near to live electrical systems permitted in exceptional circumstances only. Electrical isolation consists of two clear stages: switching off the supply and proving dead. It is important you follow a safe isolation procedure.

BS 7671:2018+A1:2020 is a non-statutory document based on technical substance of European CENELEC agreements, and is published by the British Standards Institute under the joint direction of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and British Electrotechnical Committee (BEC).

Inspection and testing can refer to many different situations at all voltage levels. This blog focuses on electrical safety inspection and testing in relation to low voltage systems and includes requirements for electrical installations and also the in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment.

The best way of dealing with an electrical fire, or more correctly a fire of electrical origin, is to prevent one from occurring in the first place. The cost of correct design, installation and maintenance is minimal when considering the cost of dealing with the aftermath of a fire:- loss of production, temporarily having to rehouse and the potential for loss of life.

The term earthing and bonding for many people often causes confusion, and in some cases a lack of understanding can lead to a very unsafe condition arising. Except in a couple of specific situations where earthing is required for equipment to function correctly, earthing and bonding may seem like an unnecessary effort and expense: after all, equipment will still work without earthing or bonding being in place.

By Paul Hopton BEng CEng (Hons) MIET – Principal Electrical Consultant Director

Test instruments and test leads are a temporary connection to electrical systems, often live at the time, for the purpose of making measurements to establish or confirm various parameters. Andrew Linley, Compliance Director at Electrical Safety UK Ltd looks at some of the standards that exist that we must comply with and that we should take into consideration whilst undertaking measurement tasks using test instruments.

By: Jim Phillips, P.E. Founder: Brainfiller.com and Associate Director: Electrical Safety UK, Ltd.

ESUK Compliance Director, Andy Linley, reviews the changes to the NFPA 70E 2021 standard.

Principal Consultant, Paul Hopton, answers below.

“Was this person competent to do that job?” This is the question that could be levelled at any Duty Holder if an electrical incident occurs. When stood in the dock of a courtroom is not the time to consider the meaning of this question.

Compliance Director, Andrew Linley, discusses the possible changes being released through Amendment 2 to BS 7671.

Many people work within the UK Construction Industry some at a technical level and others at a labourer level, with every person hour making a significant difference to the UK economy.

One question we are often asked is, what should an ESMS contain? has prompted me to write a series of articles looking at the different aspects of this vital policy document ESMS. Here is the first article in that series

The second amendment to the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations are out, and all of the IET Guidance Notes have been updated accordingly. Electricians and engineers have had time to digest every minute detail and discuss the implications at length.

Test instruments and test leads are a temporary connection to electrical systems, often live at the time, for the purpose of making measurements.