It is doubtful whether any single issue has raised as much debate in the electrical services industry as that provoked by portable appliance testing and the introduction of the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989. Jim Wallace of Seaward looks at the impact it has had on portable appliance testing*.

The Electricity At Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR 1989), which came into force on April 1st 1990, set out to raise the standards of electrical safety within industry and commerce. In doing so it has become firmly acknowledged as the starting point for what is now known as portable appliance testing.

It may therefore come as some surprise that nowhere in the regulation is there a specific stated requirement for the testing of portable appliances. There is, however, an onus on the dutyholder to ensure that equipment in the workplace is maintained so as to prevent danger – and it is this requirement that introduces the implied requirement to perform periodic inspection and testing.

As a result, and despite the uncertainty which initially greeted its introduction, the 25 year life of the EAWR 1989 has provided the basis for a range of sophisticated electrical testing technology that is now making a significant contribution to a safer working environment. 

The consequences of electrical faults 

There is considerable evidence that faulty electrical appliances pose a real threat to people and property.

In the opening remarks on electrical safety in the Löfstedt Review, reference is made to the 1,000 workforce accidents and 30 fatalities involving electric shock and burns that are reported to the HSE each year. Indeed, in its own publications, the HSE mentions how ‘electricity can kill or severely injure people and cause damage to property. Every year many accidents at work involving electric shock or burns are reported to the Health and Safety Executive.

Although the detailed data on electricity-related fatalities, accidents and injuries going back 25 years are not available, it seems clear that since the introduction of the EAWR 1989, the incidence or workplace accidents linked to electricity have shown a gradual decline.

Workplace fires

However, potential electrocution and electric shock represents only part of the problem associated with faulty electrical items. Proper consideration also needs to be made of the contributory role of faulty electrical appliances in commercial and industrial property fires which are also a major cause of deaths, injuries and considerable costs to businesses.

In particular, successive annual Fire Statistics show that faulty appliances and leads continue to pose the single most common problem as the main cause of accidental fires in ‘other dwellings’ – i.e. non-residential properties. Over the 25-year period of the EAWR 1989 the following overall comparison can be made:

In the 1989 UK Fire Statistics, among 45,600 fires in ‘other occupied buildings’ (non domestic), 32,400 (71%) were regarded as accidental. Of these accidental fires, the main causes were faulty appliances and leads with 6,800 incidents (21%) and misuse of equipment or appliances with 6,400 fires (20%).

More recently, in the 2011/12 Fire Statistics Great Britain report, there were 24,100 fires in ‘other buildings’ of which 16,800 (70%) were regarded as accidental. The main cause of accidental fires in other buildings was faulty appliances and leads (24%). This represented around 4,000 fires during the year. The misuse of equipment and appliances was responsible for 2,600 accidental fires in 2011-12 (15%).

Over this 25-year period these figures would appear to show that the incidence of accidental fires in commercial and industrial buildings has reduced significantly. Interestingly, the 24,100 fires recorded in ‘other buildings’ during 2011/12 was the lowest for more than a decade.

Between 2000/2001 and 2011/12 (excl 2009/10 for which no breakdown is available), each year faulty appliances and leads were identified as the cause of between 24% and 32% of accidental fires in non-dwelling type buildings.

In terms of the financial costs of these incidents, according to published statistics collated by the Fire Protection Association (FPA), between 2000 and 2005, in 346 reported fires that were electrical in origin in business premises, the reported losses totalled over £178 million, with an average loss per incident of over £51,000.

Other safety implications

Portable appliance inspection and testing is also becoming one of the main ways in which dangerous counterfeit electrical equipment is identified. The www.counterfeit-kills.co.uk website reports that over 15 million counterfeit products have been seized and destroyed in the period 2001 to 2013 – and the number is growing monthly.

Of course it is not only counterfeit electrical equipment that can pose a safety or fire risk. Genuine products from legitimate sources can sometimes be potentially unsafe and become the subject of product recall notices by manufacturers. In recent years, this potential problem has been exacerbated by failings in the product recall system. Electrical Safety First has warned that millions of potentially dangerous recalled electrical products are thought to remain in use due to a worryingly low recall success rate.

In these situations, by implementing regular and systematic inspection and testing of electrical appliances used in the workplace, portable appliance testing provides an effective safeguard against the risks posed by the use of potentially dangerous counterfeit or faulty equipment.

A valuable contribution to safety

There is indisputable evidence that the periodic inspection and testing of portable electrical equipment saves lives and prevents fires that may otherwise have caused injuries, loss of life and serious damages to business and work premises.

In this respect the EAWR 1989, along with the HSE Memorandum of Guidance and successive IET Codes of Practice, have consistently provided sound advice based on industry experience and the electrical safety needs of the business community.

More recently, the new emphasis on a common sense approach to testing has also been useful in helping to generate a better understanding of portable appliance testing. As a result, whilst risk assessment remains fundamental to this new approach, the clarification of the responsibilities of dutyholders and contractors will further strengthen relationships between the two and help to introduce higher levels of professionalism in the industry.

Against the backdrop of 25 years of the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989, few could dispute that the process of electrical inspection and testing has made an important contribution to improving and maintaining safety in the workplace.

As we move forward, recent changes have proven that adequate electrical safety measures can be effectively maintained without the imposition of an overly excessive test regime. This can only be for the long term benefit of all those involved in workplace safety and all those in the PAT sector. Here’s to the next 25 years.

* Jim Wallace is Associate Director of the Seaward Group. This article is extracted from a special White Paper, the Preventative Role of Portable Appliance Testing – 25 years of the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989, available at www.seaward.co.uk