Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Part of the maintenance process should include an 
appropriate system of visual inspection. By concentrat-
ing on a simple, inexpensive system of looking for visible 
signs of damage or faults, many of the electrical risks 
can be controlled, although more systematic testing may 
be necessary at a later stage.
All fi xed electrical installations should be inspected 
and tested periodically by a competent person, such 
as a member of the National Inspection Council for 
Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC).
12.6.2 Inspection 
strategies
Regular inspection of electrical equipment is an essential 
component of any preventative maintenance programme 
and, therefore, regular inspection is required under 
Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations, 
which is quoted previously. Any strategy for the inspec-
tion of electrical equipment, particularly portable appli-
ances, should involve the following considerations:
➤
a means of identifying the equipment to be tested
➤
the number and type of appliances to be tested
➤
the competence of those who will undertake the 
testing (whether in-house or bought-in)
➤
the legal requirements for portable appliance testing 
(PAT) and other electrical equipment testing and the 
guidance available
➤
organizational duties of those with responsibilities 
for PAT and other electrical equipment testing
➤
test equipment selection and re-calibration
➤
the development of a recording, monitoring and 
review system
➤
the development of any training requirements result-
ing from the test programme.
12.7 
Portable electrical appliances 
testing
Portable appliances should be subject to three levels of 
inspection – a user check, a formal visual inspection and 
a combined inspection and test.