You should be aware that as an employer or an employee of any type of business in the UK, you are required by law to adhere to strict electrical appliance health and safety procedures. This page aims to clarify exactly which laws are applicable to you and your employers / employees.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (H&SWA)

H&SWA is a broad yet strict document covering a range of regulations of health and safety at work. H&SWA applies to:

• All Employers
• All Employees

The following quote was taken directly from the Health and Safety Executive website:

“Under UK law (the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) in Great Britain or the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 in Northern Ireland) employers are responsible for ensuring the safety and health of their employees and also the public, if they are at risk from those work activities. This includes electrical safety.”

H&SWA applies a duty of care on everyone at a workplace aiming to reduce the number of accidents through electrical faults and other hazards.

The Management of the Health and Safety at Work Act Regulations 1999

This legislation applies to all employers and states that a risk assessment of the premises must be carried out to ensure proper implementaion of H&SWA in the workplace.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

This legislation states that all work equipment must be suitable for it’s purpose and constructed correctly. This is every employers responsibility. As part of the PAT test, EasyPAT will check all electrical equipment to comply with this legislation.

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR)

The EAW Regulations deal with the maintenance of all electrical systems in service at a workplace. Electrical systems can be anything that involves electricity in any amount. EAWR states that the following people are legally responsible for their safety and of others safety while operating or being in control of any electrical system in the workplace:

• Employers
• Employees
• Self Employed
• Other users not employed by the establishment

The EAW Regulations state that all electrical systems must be sufficiently maintained in order to be safe. The only way to ensure electrical appliances meet this requirement is to periodically perform inspection and testing.