How The Electricity At Work Regulations 1989 Affect An Employer

When you are an employer, there are a considerable number of laws with which you have to comply, especially around the area of keeping your employees safe and free from danger as far as is reasonably practical. One of the laws with which you must be compliant is the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 which require you to ensure that your electrical equipment such as computers, printers, kettles, fans, and basically anything that has a plug on the end of it, is safe to use. This is why portable appliance testing, known as PAT testing, should be carried out by a qualified engineer on a regular basis.

 However, it doesn’t stop there because the electric wiring in your building should be tested on a regular basis as well. If you are not an electrician, you probably never stop to think about the wiring in the building because you never see it. It is all hidden away in the walls, but it actually can deteriorate over time. This is why fixed electrical testing should also be carried out on a regular basis in order to ensure that you remain compliant. When your electrical wiring has been tested and found to be in good order you will receive an EICR – Electrical Installation Condition Report – which will confirm it.

As a rule of thumb, industrial installations should be tested every three years and other commercial installations every five. Domestic installations and owner-occupied homes should be tested every ten years. In addition to that, all installations should be tested every time there is a change of occupancy in order to ensure that everything is safe to use.