Your Responsibilities

Keeping your business safe and legal

Regular inspection and testing of electrical equipment is an important step towards satisfying an employer’s legal duty of care to protect their employees and customers from harm in the workplace, in addition, many insurers view regular electrical testing as an essential condition of their insurance contracts.

Most major underwriters have indicated that they expect the businesses they insure to be compliant with all applicable regulations when insuring the business. An insurer may reduce, delay or even refuse to pay on a claim for damage if an appliance or installation that has not been tested has led or contributed to the damage.

To meet the requirements of the 1989 ELECTRICITY AT WORK REGULATIONS, it is widely regarded to be necessary to implement a programme of planned inspection and testing of all electrical equipment, and keeping detailed test records are the most effective method for an employer to prove that appropriate measures have been taken to avoid accidents.

In the HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK ACT 1974, all employers have a legal duty to provide safe plant and equipment, and every employer must ensure that equipment is maintained in efficient working order and good repair.

The requirement for periodic inspection and testing, applies to all who use electrical equipment at work, not only to large employers.