Switched On Issue 14

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Issue14 | Autumn 2009 | ÂŁ5.00

...and all things electrical

TwoThirtyVolts website for teenagers launched www.esc.org.uk

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WELCOME Since its inception, the Electrical Safety Council has been campaigning to educate users of electricity about its hidden dangers and the risks that can arise if electrical installations and equipment used are not properly made and maintained.

However, as highlighted by this incident, we also need to continue to “educate, educate, educate” to help ensure that people in their homes and places of work understand the risks of poorly installed, maintained and/or aging electrical installations or equipment.

ducation, education, education.”

Tony Blair said this when setting out his priorities for office in 2007.

“E

I was reminded of his comment whilst reading the coroner’s report on the death of a young mother who was electrocuted in her home in Cornwall. She died in tragic and unnecessary circumstances due to a poorly maintained electrical installation when an old electric heater developed a fault. (See page 5)

The incident highlighted here is not the only one we have become aware of recently, so we are engaging with other organisations such as the National Landlords Association to provide guidance that will help ensure safer electrics.

Our aim to provide safety education also includes children, and so far we have been successful in raising the awareness of children of primary school age, for example through our www.switchedonkids.org.uk website.

Our next objective is to engage with teenagers, and I am pleased to report that we have just launched a new website www.twothirtyvolts.org.uk aimed at 11 - 16 year olds.

You can read more about this new venture in this issue, but please let your family and friends know about it because it is essential that young people understand not only the benefits of electricity but also the dangers that it can create – particularly when it is misused.

By the time you read this issue of Switched On, the summer holidays will be a fleeting memory, but with the onset of autumn comes the annual party conference season.

We will be in attendance at the major party conferences to support our push to raise awareness amongst MPs about the importance of electrical safety – education, education, education!

As always, we would welcome feedback on Switched On, to help us improve the content.

We generally just invite your comments by email, but this time I would like to invite you to complete our online reader survey (see page 5). If you can spare the time, it would be greatly appreciated.

Your feedback will be of great interest and help to us, as well as giving you the opportunity to win a nice prize!

Phil Buckle Director General

HOME ACCIDENT DATA COLLECTION n June, as part of the Health Bill, Parliament debated a Liberal Democrat amendment, supported by the Electrical Safety Council, calling for the collection of comprehensive home accident data to be reinstated across the UK.

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The Council has been campaigning in this area for some time, with our lobbying already leading to the Department of Health giving the South West Public Health Observatory £80,000 to run a one year pilot data collection scheme, based on the study we partially funded. (See the report in the Spring 2009 issue of Switched On.) Comprehensive statistical data on home accidents has not been available since 2002, when the then Department of Trade and Industry ceased to fund the Home and 2 SwitchedOn

Leisure Accident Surveillance Systems (HASS and LASS).

We see this new legislation as the ideal opportunity for the Department of Health to commit to compiling accident statistics on a UK-wide basis, especially in light of government aims to improve the quality of reporting by NHS institutions.

Although the amendment was withdrawn before being put to vote, Minister for Health

Mike O’Brien spoke encouragingly about the importance of having ‘robust collection of data on the type of injuries that cause people to be admitted to hospital in the first place.’

Sandra Gidley MP subsequently laid an Early Day Motion calling for government to implement the findings of the pilot scheme.

By late July, the response had already exceeded our expectations, attracting the signatures of thirty six parliamentarians.

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Landlords’ Guide to Electrical Safety Page12

issue 14 Autumn ‘09

switchedon industry news

features

your insight into the electrical safety industry

2

Home accident data collection Also, Welcome

4

News in brief

5

Tenant electrocuted by dangerous installation Also, Switched On distribution and

reader survey

6

Events Also, Protecting Scotland’s future

electricians

7

Condition Reports for domestic electrical installations Also, Raising safety awareness

through presentations

10 Introducing home improvement agencies

11 Access to service fuses

8

Learning for life with TwoThirtyVolts

17th Edition guidance Also, Appliance service engineers electrocuted

12

The purposes of earthing – a look at protective earthing

15 Have you ever been asked - What’s

18

Guidance from the Landlords’ Guide to Electrical Safety

14 Electrical Installation Forum –

the thin white lead on an RCBO? Also, HSE advises social landlords about asbestos risks

16 The importance of training in the recession Also, Electrician from Dumfriesshire selected for world skills event

17 New lighting scheme proposed for Tower Bridge Also, SkillElectric 2009

20 Best Practice Guides

Published by: The Electrical Safety Council 18 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6LB www.esc.org.uk www.switchedonkids.org.uk www.twothirtyvolts.org.uk Tel: 0870 040 0561 Fax: 0870 040 0560 email: switchedon@esc.org.uk SwitchedOn 3

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NEWS IN BRIEF example solenoid valves, pumps, time switches), provided this work does not involve disconnection of a gas fitting, that is, breaking into the gas path or combustion system, registration with Gas Safe Register is not necessary.” * Gas Safe Register Technical Bulletin 043, dated 1 April 2009

HSE guidance now available free online Authoritative guidance about how to protect employees from workplace dangers is now being given away free by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

We intend to hold this event annually, as we do at Westminster, to help ensure we remain aware of particular electrical safety issues that may exist in parts of the UK.

From September, around 250 priced publications that contain health and safety advice and guidance have been made freely available from HSE's website in PDF format to view and print.

Visit: www.hse.gov.uk/news/2009/freeguidance.htm?ebul=cons/jun09&cr=13

Landlord and Buy-To-Let Electrical Safety Award

Catering firm fined after injuring chip shop owner

We are delighted to be sponsoring the Landlord & Buy-to-Let Electrical Safety Award to help support our commitment to raising the standard of electrical safety in the UK’s rented homes.

In July, catering equipment company KLS (UK) was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 costs after electrical work carried out at a fish and chip shop in Milton Keynes led to the shop owner being injured by an electric shock in 2007.

Bill Wright and Phil Buckle (Chairman and Director General of the Electrical Safety Council) with Christine Grahame MSP

Scottish Parliamentary Reception The Electrical Safety Council’s campaigns cover the whole of the UK. Earlier this year, to help ensure that we encompass the needs of everyone in our campaigning activities, we held our first reception at Holyrood in Edinburgh, which enabled us to meet with MSPs and others who have an interest in electrical safety issues.

The event was kindly sponsored by Christine Grahame MSP, who spoke about her commitment to electrical safety and offered her support for our campaigning.

We were also joined by some of Christine’s fellow MSPs, representatives from other bodies including Scottish Fire & Rescue Services, the Health and Safety Executive, Trading Standards, and Scottish Power.

Our Director General, Phil Buckle, gave an overview of our recent and current activities, and asked for support from MSPs in our endeavours to raise the standard of electrical safety in Scotland.

We also asked those attending to contact us if they feel there are any areas we can work in partnership or to provide support for their safety initiatives.

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We believe that it is essential for landlords to be aware of their responsibilities for electrical safety and to take them seriously.

For details of the award, to be presented on 16 October, please visit www.landlordawards.co.uk

Electrical work on gas appliances The previous CORGI guidance concerning electrical work that can be undertaken on a gas system by self-employed persons and businesses that are not registered has been re-confirmed by Gas Safe Register* as follows: “Where an electrical contractor is installing or maintaining electrical components of a gas system (for

The owner had been rushed to hospital suffering from cardiac problems and burns, but later recovered.

Electrical work on a drainage pump was said to have been of such a poor standard that a plug was still energised when the shop owner removed it from the socket. He was said to have suffered an electric shock lasting for up to 30 seconds before someone managed to remove the plug from his hands.

Directors from the catering equipment company pleaded guilty to two counts under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1989.

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TENANT ELECTROCUTED BY DANGEROUS INSTALLATION he husband of a young mother who died just days after moving into their new home in Cornwall has called for a change in the law on electrical installations in rented accommodation, a call that the Electrical Safety Council fully supports.

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In July, the deputy coroner for Cornwall recorded a verdict of accidental death following the electrocution of the 33-yearold mother of two in March last year.

The inquest heard that she was killed when an oil-filled electric heater in the bathroom developed a fault, causing a lethal voltage to appear on the metal pipework in the property.

The main protective device (an old voltageoperated earth-leakage circuit-breaker) that was intended to rapidly disconnect the electricity supply in such circumstances failed to operate because the connection with Earth that it needed for detecting dangerous voltages had corroded away.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, the coroner concluded that the house was electrically unsafe and openly criticised a legal loophole that allows landlords to rent homes to families without electrical safety checks being made.

The coroner concluded: “Anyone who has listened to the evidence today cannot but have been starkly reminded of the potential perils of electricity in our homes. But there is no requirement for periodic inspections of electricity in homes, and that to me seems inexplicable.”

SWITCHED ON DISTRIBUTION AND READER SURVEY Now, somewhat as an experiment, this and the next issue of Switched On are also being distributed with the IET’s Wiring Matters magazine, the CIBSE Journal and the Facilities Management Journal, bringing the total distribution up to around 180,000.

Whether you’re a regular or new reader, I do hope you find Switched On to be an interesting and informative read. If you’ve missed any issues, they can all be found on our website, www.esc.org.uk In this and subsequent issues, we’re including one or more articles of a more technical nature which we hope will appeal to those having an interest in electrical installation matters.

Mike Clark

Online reader survey –

win an iPod Touch!

Please help us improve our magazine!

We want to make sure that we’re providing you with the sort of information you need and want to read about. To do that we need your feedback, so we’ve come up with an online survey where you can tell us what you think about Switched On and a little about yourself too.

But we’d love to know what you would really like to read about in the magazine, so please help us by completing our reader survey – and perhaps win yourself a prize in the process!

Mike Clark Editor

The circulation of our magazine has been increasing ever since it was launched in the summer of 2006.

At first only distributed as an insert with the NICEIC Connections magazine, Switched On was soon also being distributed via electrical wholesalers with Professional Electrician, which almost trebled its circulation. More recently, Switched On has been distributed around Scotland with SELECT’s CableTalk magazine.

Complete the survey and you could be a winner!

In addition to the iPod Touch, there are ten annual subscriptions to our Technical Manual on CD to be won …… and just completing certain questions could also get you a bottle of champagne!

The survey can be completed in about ten minutes, but it would be great if you could take a little longer to give us all the information we need to give you a great read.

Just go to www.esc.org.uk/so-survey and log on to the Switched On reader’s survey.

We look forward to hearing from you

SwitchedOn 5

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EVENTS IN 2009 Elex As hosts of the Best Practice Theatre at the Elex exhibitions this year, we have been able to arrange some really interesting discussions with visiting electrical installers.

In addition to technical seminars on a wide range of subjects, we hosted several industry forums led by experts from the Electrical Safety Council, IET, SELECT and from the Part P scheme operators, which proved to be very constructive and well received.

The Elex events have enabled us to give hundreds of contractors printed copies of our Best Practice Guides. The events have also provided us with an ideal opportunity to tell them about the large range of consumer leaflets we have produced. Many of those we speak to are completely unaware of what information we have available and how useful it can be when ‘talking technical’ with customers.

All our leaflets can be viewed on, or downloaded from, our website, www.esc.org.uk. Alternatively, up to 100 copies can be requested free of charge by emailing leaflets@esc.org.uk

Roadshows It has been a packed summer programme for our roadshow this year which has visited country fairs and town centres all around

the UK, including Scotland, Somerset, Kent and Devon.

With an exciting new interactive element now included on the trailer, we are delighted to say that the vast majority of visitors rated their experience as ‘very good’, and confirmed that they had learned something new about electrical safety.

We are steadily gaining recognition and support from a number of politicians and can claim a number of successes, some of which have been reported on in Switched On.

Trading Standards Conference

NEC The Charity exhibited at Gardeners World Live, reminding people amongst other things to be especially careful when using mainspowered electrical equipment outdoors.

During the event, we gave away 250 plug-in RCDs as well as lots of leaflets and goodies, and talked with over 1,000 people about electrical safety issues.

Party conferences Our attendance at the main political party conferences in September and October has enabled us to underline our commitment to lobbying on electrical issues affecting consumer safety.

Almost 200 Trading Standards Officers visited our stand at the Trading Standards Conference in Brighton and were very interested to learn about the work of the charity, including our consumer safety initiatives and product safety screening.

Gathering political support for our campaigns to re-establish a UK-wide system for gathering reliable data about home accidents and injuries, the enforcement of the requirements of Part P of the Building Regulations, and anti-counterfeiting measures is essential.

We have many activities in common with Trading Standards in relation to our product safety campaigning, and are constantly looking for ways in which we can work effectively together on electrical safety issues.

PROTECTING SCOTLAND’S FUTURE ELECTRICIANS “It’s vital that everyone in the industry adopts safe working practices and procedures to help prevent fatalities and other injuries, such as electric shocks and burns” says our Director General, Phil Buckle. “By working with SECTT on this important initiative, Scotland’s future generation of electricians will have an even greater awareness of safety issues to help protect both themselves and others.”

Newell McGuiness (MD of SELECT) Phil Buckle and Alan Ross

800 apprentices in Scotland are now working more safely, thanks to the Electrical Safety Council and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT). The two organisations have joined forces to provide free ‘lockout kits’ to trainees on the Scottish Joint Industry Board Apprenticeship Scheme.

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The Chief Executive of SECTT, Alan Ross, is delighted to have our support on this initiative. “Fatal accidents have occurred when people have failed to isolate an installation before working on the electrics” he explains. “Our collaboration with the Electrical Safety Council ensures apprentices have the

right training - and equipment - to make sure the installation has been made safe before starting work.”

We recommend that all electrical contractors read our Best Practice Guide No 2, which focuses on safe isolation procedures for low voltage installations. The Guide, which provides advice for employers, employees and the self-employed, can be downloaded free of charge from the ‘business and community’ section of our website (www.esc.org.uk), together with the other guides in the series.

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CONDITION REPORTS FOR DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS s previously announced in Switched On, a range of new information is available on our website www.esc.org.uk advising consumers about the importance of having the condition of their electrical installation checked at intervals, and helping them to order an appropriate condition report.

Additional guidance is also provided for electricians carrying out condition reporting.

website under ‘domestic electrical installation condition reports’, consists of:

The original titles and illustrations have been revised to make them more consumer-friendly.

A

•

A guide to condition reports for domestic electrical installations

•

Information for customers – domestic electrical installation condition reports

•

Quotation request form for a domestic electrical installation condition report

•

Information for electricians – domestic electrical installation condition reports

Information for electricians Amongst other things, the information and guidance is intended to clarify what each party should expect from the other when a report is required on the condition of a domestic electrical installation.

The information for electricians, to be found in the ‘Business and Community’ section under ‘periodic inspection’, consists of:

•

Quotation request form for a domestic electrical installation condition report

•

Best Practice Guide No 4: Periodic inspection reporting - recommendation codes for domestic and similar electrical installations

•

Guide to condition reports for domestic electrical installations (eaflet distributed to consumers)

•

•

Information for electricians – domestic

Information for customers - domestic electrical installation condition reports

Information for consumers The information for consumers, to be found in the ‘find an electrician’ section of our

electrical installation condition reports

RAISING SAFETY AWARENESS THROUGH PRESENTATIONS uring the first half of 2009, the Electrical Safety Council has given presentations at a wide range of events across the UK with the aim of increasing consumer awareness of electrical safety issues. The following events are in addition to our technical presentations at trade events such as the five Elex events in 2009.

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January: Our attendance at events started early in the year when we visited the National Housing Maintenance Forum (NHMF) Annual Conference in Stratfordupon-Avon, and gave a talk on periodic inspection reporting. The talk was attended mainly by council and housing association staff responsible for maintenance and improvements to housing stock.

March: We attended the Landlords and Buy-to-Let Show at Olympia. In addition to having a stand at the show, we gave presentations covering a wide range of electrical issues of relevance to landlords.

The National Home Building and Renovating Show at the NEC Birmingham is an event attended by the general public.

The event provided us with the opportunity to give presentations about general electrical safety issues as well as providing advice on our exhibition stand. This format was repeated later in the year at the NHBR show in Glasgow.

April: A talk to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers gave our technical staff the opportunity to use their detailed knowledge of the IEE Wiring Regulations to explain about the requirements of the 17th Edition.

May: The National Housing in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Network is an organisation consisting mainly of local authority officers, particularly Environmental Health Officers, together with representatives from landlord and tenant groups, academic institutions and private consultants. We visited the Network’s Conference in Newcastle and gave two talks relating to electrical safety, focusing particularly on HMOs. The West of England Landlords Expo in Bristol provided another opportunity to

talk to landlords on electrical safety issues.

Two talks were provided with around 100 in attendance at each.

The National Housing Federation (NHF) represents 1200 independent not-for-profit housing associations and we visited their regional meeting in Swindon to give a talk on electrical regulations.

June: Following more requests from the public for presentations, June brought another busy schedule. Two talks to the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), one in Southampton, the other in London, were well attended. The talks focused on electrical safety issues for persons responsible for the management of blocks of flats, including the electrical requirements for dwellings and common areas.

Finally, for the first half of the year, the National Landlords Association (NLA), representing private residential landlords, held their regional meeting at Tunbridge Wells and we provided a talk there on electrical safety issues for landlords.

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“the education

zone gives helpful information on careers in the electrical industry, environmental issues and vital first aid tips”

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Learning for life with e have been busy developing an exciting new educational website – www.twothirtyvolts.org.uk targeted at 11-16 year-olds.

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The website aims to provide this age group with all the information they need to stay safe around electricity, first aid tips and a range of interesting electrical facts. It also provides an introduction to the electrical industry as a career choice.

The site has also been designed to complement key stage 3 and 4 national curriculum requirements relating to electricity, and to act as an online educational resource.

Launched in September, the brand new site offers a range of useful material for science and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) teachers, including lesson plans, revision notes

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and guides to practical experiments, as well as revision quizzes for the students, using a wide range of electrically-related information.

The TwoThirtyVolts education zone gives helpful information on careers in the electrical industry, environmental issues and vital first aid tips.

Learning support materials for students are also available.

“The site has been specifically designed to appeal to the teen audience, with an entertaining and ‘funky’ design”, explains Lorraine Carney, our Campaigns Manager. “Today’s teenagers have a high degree of design literacy and, with so much competition for their attention, we knew we had to come up with something eye-catching and interesting to grab – and keep – their attention.”

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“The site has

been specifically designed to appeal to the teen audience, with an entertaining and ‘funky’ design”

with TwoThirtyVolts To help drive the 21st century teenager to the site, an innovative digital marketing plan has been developed. “We’ve teamed up with a teen band called Elliot Minor”, adds Lorraine. “We’ve used them in a short video clip - which will be sent via targeted emails, fan database marketing and video-sharing sites – to introduce the ‘Get your Gig On’ competition on the TwoThirtyVolts website.

The aim is to get teens to log onto the site and take part in a game in which they build a stage.

Their reward for completing the stage will be to view some previously unseen footage of Elliot Minor.

If you are a parent, teacher or educationalist do please visit our brand new website: www.twothirtyvolts.org.uk Or if you know someone who is, please tell them about it.

Feedback and suggestions about our new website will be very welcome. Please email us at: feedback@esc.org.uk The new website complements the existing website for primary school children, www.switchedonkids.org.uk, which is designed especially for 5-11 year olds.

A prize draw will be held at the end of the competition period and we hope to persuade the band to award the prizes in person to the lucky winners”.

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INTRODUCING HOME IMPROVEMENT AGENCIES Working for older, disabled and vulnerable people to provide a safe home environment. ome improvement agencies, sometimes also known as Staying Put or Care & Repair, operate in about 90% of local authorities in England and have full coverage in Wales and Scotland. There are also limited services in Northern Ireland.

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The aim of these grant-funded agencies is to help vulnerable people to maintain their independence. Their primary focus is on the repair or adaptation of the client's home, and to support this they may also provide a range of related services depending on local needs and circumstances. Typical services provided by agencies include: • Caseworker visits to clients in their homes to discuss housing support needs • Sourcing funding to carry out the work from grants, low cost loans and charities • Maintaining registers of reliable, qualified tradespeople • Organising work to improve energy efficiency • Home safety checks with remedial action • Home security checks with remedial action • Handyperson services – small repairs, odd jobs, fitting minor adaptations, signposting to other services

The agency then assisted Mrs P to apply for funding from Warm Front for the heating, and a repair grant from the local authority.

A building contractor was engaged from the agency’s approved list following a tendering process, then all the building, heating and electrical work was overseen by the agency’s technical staff, who made sure that it was completed to Mrs P’s satisfaction.

Growth in handyperson services In England, one of the big growth areas at the moment for the home improvement agency sector is in handyperson services.

The levels of provision are expected to double over the next couple of years as the result of government funding of £35m for local authorities.

Many new services are now being tendered and Foundations are seeing significant growth in existing schemes. Handyperson services work hand in hand with electrical contractors, who carry out the second fit, inspection, testing and certification of work carried out by handyperson operatives.

Local trades registers Home improvement agencies work with a broad range of local contractors to deliver repairs, improvements and adaptations for their clients. They also pass on details of reliable contractors to members of the public.

A typical client case study Mrs P is a home owner who had been living on her own for several years since her husband died. The condition of her house had deteriorated badly. Mrs P was referred to her local home improvement agency by her GP who felt the home to be unsafe and contributing to Mrs P’s mental distress.

The agency first sent a caseworker, who talked to Mrs P about her problems with her current housing and carried out an initial check of the home. The agency’s technical officer then assessed the home for essential repairs and improvements, including new central heating, a substantial roof repair and a complete rewire of the property.

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Client with agency caseworker

Many operate a local trades register on behalf of local authorities in an effort to tackle rogue traders.

Agencies are always interested in taking reputable contractors onto their lists, and enquiries can be made direct with the local agency about how to do this. Usually it would involve meeting with the agency and supplying evidence that operatives are fully qualified, and that work is properly managed and quality assured.

Contractors working exclusively or regularly with home improvement agencies may also have to undergo CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks because they spend a large amount of their time working in the homes of vulnerable adults.

To find out more about the work of home improvement agencies, or to look up your local agency in England, you can visit the Foundations website: www.foundations.uk.com, telephone 0845 864 5210.

In Scotland, you can contact Care & Repair Forum, www.careandrepairscotland.co.uk, telephone 0141 221 9879.

In Wales, contact Care & Repair Cymru, www.careandrepair.org.uk, telephone 029 2057 6286.

In Northern Ireland, contact Fold Housing Group, telephone 028 9039 7250.

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ACCESS TO SERVICE FUSES

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e are pleased to report that, since we covered this subject at some length in the summer issue of Switched On, there have been some positive developments.

isolation is necessary to enable certain electrical work on site, such as the replacement of a consumer unit, to be carried out safely and lawfully.

Background

Working Group

In March this year, following representations from the electrical installation industry to the electrical supply industry over an extended period, EDF Energy made a proposal to change the Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement (DCUSA). This agreement governs the relationship between the licensed electricity distributors, suppliers and generators of Great Britain.

A DCUSA Working Group has been tasked with assessing and developing the proposal. Although the EDF change proposal suggested that suppliers may wish to put in place an approved accreditation scheme, the Working Group agreed at its first meeting that there was merit in exploring alternative solutions alongside that proposal to ensure that a robust solution is taken forward.

The proposed change would permit suppliers to introduce a scheme to authorise competent electricians to remove and replace distributors’ service fuses when such means of temporary

Industry consultation

of the consultation was to understand the scope and scale of the issue, the problems encountered with the current process and to come up with a list of potential solutions.

Potential solutions

The Working Group issued an industry consultation in March to which over 30 responses were received. The purpose

OPTION

In parallel, the Working Group is drafting guidance documents on the current process for electricians and wider industry participants.

The Working Group has evaluated each of the following six solutions to determine those to be discounted and those which merit more detailed exploration.

RECOMMENDATION

1 – Approved Accreditation Scheme

2 – Fit double pole isolator

The Working Group, which has met several times, has concluded that its primary aim is to find a solution which is safe and allows the process to operate effectively.

3 – Fit circuit-breaker cut-outs

5 – Improve existing supplier and agent processes

As the time of writing, the DCUSA Working Group was scheduled to meet again in September to assess options 1, 2 and 5 in more detail.

PROGRESS Supported by Distributors Supported by Trade Associations Governance issues Consent issues

• • • • • •

PROGRESS Process already in place for many Supported by Suppliers Need to consider governance Medium – long term solution Funding issues

• REJECT • Not cost effective

4 – Change smart meter specification to include double-pole isolator with ‘lock off’

6 - Clearing House/Single point of contact

• • • • •

• • • •

REJECT Very difficult to achieve Theoretical solution - no such meter types exist in the UK market Risks associated with aligning solution with roll out of smart metering

• • • • • •

PROGRESS Short term solution Enduring benefits No DCUSA change required Immediate benefits Can support other solutions

• • • • •

REJECT Governance & funding complexities Requires sign on from all Suppliers Complex solution for low level issue Industry trial unsuccessful

Each option was due to be assessed independently against the following criteria, and then in comparison with each other and the current situation:

• • • • •

Benefits Costs Safety Revenue protection issues Timing

Further developments on this important subject will be reported in future issues of Switched On. SwitchedOn 11

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Figure 1: An example of supply system earthing (the earthing connection being made at the star point of the transformer or generator windings) [GN00158]

Figure 2: Electrical equipment earthing (showing the earth fault cu with PME applied) [SN00156]

The purposes of earthing - A lo arthing’ is a term familiar to those involved with electrical installations and electricity supply networks. However, the purposes of earthing are not always clearly understood.

‘E

The UK standard for the safety of electrical installations, BS 7671: 2008 (IEE Wiring Regulations Seventeenth Edition), considers three main types of earthing: •

protective earthing

•

functional earthing

•

earthing for combined protective and functional purposes.

In this article we look at protective earthing, which is provided for reasons of safety. We may cover the other two types of earthing, protective earthing and earthing for combined protective and functional purposes, in future issues of Switched On.

The two parts of protective earthing Protective earthing consists of two parts: supply system earthing and equipment earthing.

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Supply system earthing Supply system earthing is usually provided by the electricity distributor or, in the case of a supply from a privately-owned substation or generator, by the owner of the private network. It is achieved by the connection of one of the conductors of the supply system – normally the neutral conductor or the combined protective and neutral (PEN) conductor – with the general mass of Earth, via an earth electrode.

The earthing connection to the neutral or PEN conductor may be made at a single point, such as the star point of the windings of the distribution transformer or generator.

Alternatively, multiple connections between the neutral or PEN conductor and Earth may be made along the run of that conductor within the supply network. Figure 1 shows an example of where the connection is made at the star point of the transformer or generator windings.

The purposes of supply system earthing are: •

to preserve the security of the supply network by limiting the potential of the live conductors (with respect to that of Earth) to a value consistent with their insulation

•

in the case of a TT system (where the electrical installation relies for its means of earthing on an installation earth electrode rather than a protective conductor or PEN conductor in the distributor’s service line), to provide a path for earth fault current and protective conductor current to return to the source of energy via Earth. Without this path, devices for protection against electric shock and fault current to earth will not operate.

Supply system earthing should be carried out to an appropriate standard, such as BS 7430 – Code of practice for Earthing.

In the case of a system for the distribution of electricity to consumers, the supply system earthing must meet the applicable

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FAULT

LOAD

owing the earth fault current path for a typical TN C-S system

Figure 3: Electrical equipment earthing showing the earth fault current path for a typical TT system

- A look at protective earthing requirements laid down in the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (as amended), which include, amongst other things, the requirements for the connection of the PEN conductor with Earth in the type of distribution known as Protective Multiple Earthing (PME).

appropriate means of earthing. The connection is made via the circuit protective conductors, main earthing terminal and earthing conductor of the installation. The means of earthing may be an installation earth electrode (in a TT system) or a facility provided by the distributor (in a TN system).

Equipment earthing

Examples of electrical equipment earthing can be seen in Figures 2 and 3. Both figures show a complete electrical system (consisting of a supply network and an electrical installation), and they therefore also show the supply system earthing. The type of system is TN C S (with PME applied) in Figure 2 and TT in Figure 3.

The other part of protective earthing is equipment earthing, which is also known as electrical installation earthing. This is the responsibility of the owner of the electrical installation, who normally delegates the responsibility to an electrical contractor. It applies where the protective measure against electric shock used in the installation is Automatic Disconnection of Supply, as is the case in the vast majority of installations in the UK. Equipment earthing is the connection of the exposed-conductive-parts of the electrical installation (such as the metallic enclosures of equipment, metallic conduit systems and metallic cable sheaths and armouring) to an

The purpose of electrical equipment earthing is, in the event of an earth fault, to allow operation of the devices for protection against electric shock (fault protection) and for protection against earth fault current. By this means, the supply to the faulty circuit is automatically disconnected by means of a fuse, overcurrent circuit-breaker or residual current device.

Figures 2 and 3 show the path of the earth fault current (signified by the red arrows) in the event of an earth fault in the installation.

This path is known as the earth fault loop.

The electrical impedance of this loop is required not to exceed the maximum value permitted by Section 411 of BS 7671, according to the type and rating of the protective device relied upon for automatic disconnection of the circuit under earth fault conditions.

Provided this requirement is met, automatic disconnection can be expected to occur within the maximum time permitted by BS 7671 in the event of an earth fault of negligible impedance.

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ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION FORUM 17th Edition guidance he answers to several new commonlyasked questions have been added to the website since the previous issue of Switched On was published, including:

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In an existing domestic installation, are 16 mm2 single-core pvc/pvc meter tails (having a current-carrying capacity of 87 A clipped direct) adequate if the rating of the distributor’s BS 1361 cut-out fuse is 100 A? What should I recommend in a periodic inspection report if I find that an existing installation still relies for fault protection on a voltage-operated earth-leakage circuit-breaker?

If we reposition a pull switch in a location containing a bath or shower, would the circuit need to be RCD-protected?

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What should I do if a consumer unit I have been asked to replace is in a relatively inaccessible position?

For the industry-agreed answers to these and many other commonly-asked questions relating to the application of the 17th Edition, visit www.esc.org.uk/forum Regular visitors to the site will see that the original answer to the question - Are there any particular requirements relating to the mounting height or location of consumer units for electrical installations in new dwellings? has been amended by the addition of the following paragraphs: BSI Draft for development DD 266: 2007 – Design of accessible housing: Lifetime homes – Code of practice, explains how, by following the principles of inclusive design, general needs

housing can be made sufficiently flexible and convenient to meet the existing and changing needs of most households, and so give disabled and older people more choice over where they live.

Amongst other things, the code of practice recommends that meters and consumer units should be mounted 1200 mm to 1400 mm from the floor so that the readings and switches can be viewed by a person standing or sitting, and should be positioned to be accessible.

We recommend that those following the guidance provided by the Forum visit the site at least every couple of months to see what other additions and amendments have been made.

APPLIANCE SERVICE ENGINEERS ELECTROCUTED Commercial dishwasher A 48 year-old service engineer was electrocuted in July this year whilst servicing and repairing a restaurant dishwasher in Elgin, Scotland.

The Health and Safety Executive were investigating the circumstances.

Domestic washing machine The Health and Safety Executive has called on companies to ensure they undertake appropriate risk assessments and protect their employees through proper training, following the tragic death of a young father from Hertfordshire.

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In June this year, SF (UK) Ltd, trading as British Gas, was fined £35,000 with £65,000 costs at St Albans Crown Court. The company had admitted breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999*.

was insufficient, and there was a lack of adequate risk assessments for the task.

In June 2005, the SF (UK) Ltd engineer was attending a residential call-out in Waltham Cross. Having removed the back panel to repair a washing machine motor fault, he came into contact with live parts and was electrocuted because the machine was still connected to the power supply.

Regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states: "Every employer shall make and give effect to such arrangements as are appropriate, having regard to the nature of his activities and the size of his undertaking, for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventive and protective measures."

The HSE investigation found that the induction training provided by SF (UK) Ltd

*Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."

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HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ASKED … What’s the purpose of the thin white lead on an RCBO? residual current device (RCD) is a device designed to provide protection against electric shock or electrical fire by cutting off the flow of electricity automatically when it senses a ‘leakage’ of electric current from a circuit.

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Residual current operated circuitbreaker with integral overcurrent protection (RCBO), showing the functional earth lead One method of detecting a ‘leakage’ current is to use electronics. A search coil, ‘X,’ monitors the magnetic field produced in the toroid (shown in blue in the diagram) by any imbalance in the line and neutral conductor currents, A and

B, respectively. When the strength of the magnetic field attains a value equivalent to the rated residual operating current (I∆n) of the RCD, a ‘signal’ is fed into an electronic circuit and amplified, causing the main contacts of the RCD to trip (open), thus disconnecting the supply to the protected circuit.

The use of electronics enabled fewer and smaller components to be used in the manufacture of RCDs. However where this technology is used, as in RCBOs for example, the devices are functionally dependent on the line voltage for the purposes of detection and evaluation of leakage current, and of interruption of the supply.

The product standard for these voltage-dependent devices therefore requires them to trip automatically if the supply to the electronic circuit fails.

Otherwise this would prevent their operation in the event of an earth fault.

This is particularly important in the case of a loss of neutral, which would otherwise leave a potential of 230 V at the load.

This automatic ‘fail safe’ trip feature is afforded by the connection of the device’s thin, white or cream lead to the earthing

arrangement of the installation. The lead is often referred to as a ‘functional earth lead’, but its sole purpose is to provide a second reference point for the supply to the electronic amplifier.

As soon as the supply neutral is lost, the RCD is forced to trip. It is for this reason that the lead should not be cut off or left unconnected.

In the rare circumstances that this safety feature may cause inconvenience, such as in a hospital environment, the RCD manufacturer should be consulted.

This issue does not arise in the case of electromechanical (voltage independent) RCDs as the tripping mechanism is powered solely by the signal induced into the search coil wound around the toroid.

CAUTION! In order to prevent damage to the electronic components and to avoid erroneous test results, manufacturers of electronic RCDs recommend that such devices are disconnected whilst insulation resistance tests are carried out.

HSE ADVISES SOCIAL LANDLORDS ABOUT ASBESTOS RISKS he HSE has reported finding instances during the refurbishment of social housing properties where inadequate measures had been taken to prevent unsafe work associated with asbestos containing materials.

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Workers, and in some cases tenants, may have been exposed to asbestos because of this failure to manage the risk The HSE has written an 'Advisory note on the refurbishment of housing stock likely to contain asbestos' which provides guidance to social landlords including local authorities, housing associations and social housing management companies who may commission such work. It also sets out how to manage the risks of exposure of workers to asbestos to comply with current legislation.

The advisory note can be downloaded fee of charge from www.hse.gov.uk/services/localgovernment /asbestos.htm

refurbishment/maintenance work commissioned by all landlords.

The note is relevant to refurbishment programmes that aim to meet the Decent Homes Standard, Scottish Housing Quality Standard, Welsh Housing Quality Standard or similar capital projects where social landlords are the client under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

However, the principles contained within it are equally applicable to routine

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THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING IN THE RECESSION uring times of financial uncertainty, training can become a low priority for businesses. Ann Watson, Managing Director of EAL (EMTA Awards Ltd), outlines here why she believes it is essential that firms resist the temptation to slash training budgets, and provides advice on making decisions around training.

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Despite the downturn, I believe that it has never been more important for businesses in the industry, including SMEs and sole traders, to continue and even increase investment in training. Research has shown during an economic downturn, companies investing in training are 2.5 times less likely to go under .

Changing Industry legislation should also be a driving force motivating employers to invest in training. In order to remain competitive, you need to ensure that you and your workforce can comply with the latest regulations, such as the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations. Staying up-todate is an essential part of maintaining a market advantage.

Finding the right qualification It is essential that you use training providers that have been recognised and approved by a reputable awarding body. This will guarantee the quality and integrity of any training undertaken.

Reasons to train With a looming skills crisis in the electrical industry, I believe upskilling the existing workforce is an essential way of counteracting this trend. In addition, upskilling is crucial to remaining successful and maintain an advantage over competitors.

Updating your knowledge and abilities, or those of your workforce, can help improve performance and productivity, making businesses more robust. By increasing efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace, training can aid turnover and reduce costs, as well as boosting employee confidence, loyalty and motivation.

Look into how awarding bodies’ qualifications have been developed, their experience and expertise. For example, EAL use industry specialist experts as part of its in-house development team, and work with other leading industry bodies, such as the Electrical Contractors’ Association, to jointly develop qualifications specifically tailored to meet the needs of the electrical industry.

Taking time off the job can make training even more costly, especially for sole traders and SMEs. Colleges such as Chichester College and Aldercar Community Language College in Derbyshire offer EAL’s 17th Edition

qualifications and other electrical courses as night classes, meaning they can be slotted in around typical working hours.

Other companies, such as Flexi Tech Training Ltd and Clarkson Evans offer training packages around the UK, which can be tailored to meet employers’ requirements.

Accessing funding Government funding may be available to employers of all sizes through initiatives such as Train to Gain. Further information and advice on these initiatives are available from Sector Skills Councils such as SummitSkills.

Members of the Electrical Contractors’ Association may also be able to access the ECA Training Fund, a £10million fund allocated to help member firms by reimbursing the course costs of approved adult training programmes.

Whilst the entire issue of training can at first seem overwhelming, by carefully evaluating your business objectives and selecting training options which match those needs, you can ensure your company is equipped with that all-important competitive edge in preparation for the eventual economic upturn.

ELECTRICIAN FROM DUMFRIESSHIRE SELECTED FOR WORLD SKILLS EVENT t an exclusive event held at the House of Lords on 30 June, it was announced that Richard Sagar, 22, from Langholm, who works for Eden Electrics, has been chosen as a member of Team UK – a team of 26 skilled young people from across the UK who will fly to Canada in September to compete at WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

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Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said: “This team of talented young people are determined to make a difference in their careers and will represent the UK in showing the rest of the world just how talented our country is.

In these tougher times it’s more important than ever that we continue to support and invest in the skills of our workforce.”

Richard was finally chosen for Team UK after a tough four day competition which took place at North Warwickshire and Hinckley College.

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The WorldSkills Competition is the biggest skills competition in the world with over 200,000 spectators expected to watch a total of over 900 competitors from 51 countries, competing in skills ranging from bricklaying to landscape gardening, plumbing and electrical installations, in which Richard will be competing against the best young electricians in the world.

The UK’s WorldSkills team is managed by UK Skills working in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and key partners from education, government and industry.

Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills, said “We are very pleased to welcome

Richard as a member of Team UK. The quality and dedication all our competitors demonstrated during the selection process was of the highest level, but the exceptional work that Richard carried out proved to judges that he has what it takes to be part of Team UK and represent his country.

For more information on WorldSkills Calgary 2009, the UK team and WorldSkills 2011 to be held in London, visit www.worldskills.org

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NEW LIGHTING SCHEME PROPOSED FOR TOWER BRIDGE lighting design for Tower Bridge, one of London’s most iconic structures.

The award was won by Nathan Gunmow for his imaginative and colourful scheme which

would allow the magnificent architecture of the bridge to be visually distinguished by uplighting the major elements of the bridge so as to define the intricate details.

Using projectors, the lighting system would also be capable of generating a multitude of colours and effects so the bridge could be easily, and effortlessly, transformed into a festive icon for major holidays and events.

he Electrical Safety Council has teamed up with the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers to offer an annual award to MSc students at the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London, for the best exterior lighting design project.

The award was for the best submission, with no guarantee that the winning design proposals would be implemented.

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This year, supported by the Corporation of the City of London, the competition was particularly high profile, featuring a new

“...the bridge could be easily, and effortlessly, transformed into a festive icon for major holidays and events”

SKILLELECTRIC 2009

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or the second successive year, the Electrical Safety Council is a proud sponsor and supporter of SkillELECTRIC, organised by SummitSkills.

The finalists will undertake a series of practical tests based on real-life work situations, competing in purpose-built bays in front of thousands of spectators.

SkillELECTRIC is a competition designed to promote standards and skills across the electrotechnical industries, developing competence into excellence, and testing competitors’ performance in tasks drawn from the role of the electrician.

SkillELECTRIC is part of ‘Skill M&E’ – four skills competitions that search for the ‘best of the best’ electrical and mechanical engineers in the building services engineering sector.

Skill M&E also incorporates SkillPLUMB, SkillFRIDGE and SkillPIPE

Over the summer throughout the UK, regional heats have taken place to find the top 12 finalists from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales who will take part in the UK final to be staged at the Interbuild show in Birmingham between 18 and 21 October.

Subject to eligibility, outstanding UK winners may also be invited to compete for a place in the UK’s team for the WorldSkills 2011 event in London.

More information about the competition, the regional heat winners and the final, can be viewed on the Skill M&E website at: www.skillmande.org.uk .

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Guidance from the La Electrical Safety Although IEE Guidance Note 3 - Inspection and Testing - recommends 10 years as the maximum interval between tests, this relates to the period from the initial inspection (when the installation was first commissioned) to the first periodic inspection and test.

an electrical safety inspection, prior to the property being re-occupied. This inspection should include checks to ensure there are no broken or missing accessories (sockets, switches etc), no accessible live parts, no signs of burning at accessories or electrical equipment, and a manual test of any residual current devices (RCDs).

Subsequent inspections may result in a recommendation for the interval between future inspections to be increased or decreased depending upon the condition of the installation at the time of inspection, although an increase in the interval is very unlikely.

The Landlord’s Guide to Electrical Safety, referred to in the previous issue of Switched On, is now available as a free download at http://www.esc.org.uk/business-andcommunity/guidancefor/landlords.html.

The inspector recommending the interval between subsequent inspection and testing must apply engineering judgment, and consider the overall condition of the installation at the time of the inspection.

IEE Guidance Note 3 also recommends that, for domestic premises, a periodic inspection is carried out on change of occupancy.

Limited printed copies are also available on request to enquiries@esc.org.uk

For rented accommodation, the Electrical Safety Council recommends that periodic inspection and testing is carried out at least every 5 years, or on the change of tenancy.

Housing organizations that keep an up-todate record of the condition of their housing stock and work to a written maintenance programme and periodic testing regime may be in position to justify a longer period between periodic inspection and testing.

The following article is based on a section from the guide which outlines the recommendations concerning the frequency for the periodic inspection and testing of fixed electrical installations, and the related condition reports.

Frequency of periodic inspection The frequency of periodic inspection and testing will depend upon the type of installation, its use and operation, the frequency and quality of maintenance, and the condition of the electrical installation at the time of the inspection and test.

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When a change of tenancy occurs after a short period (for example, less than six months) of letting, a full periodic inspection and test may not be always be necessary.

However, it is imperative that the landlord or a person acting on their behalf carries out

The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Wales) Regulations 2006 require that every fixed electrical installation in an HMO is inspected and tested at intervals not exceeding 5 years by a person qualified to undertake such inspection and testing.

A certificate from the person conducting that inspection and test, specifying the results of the inspection and test, must be obtained and supplied to the local housing

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he Landlords’ Guide to that the

Maintenance procedures involving periodic inspection and test reports in conjunction with interim visual condition reports may also be considered where appropriate.

In general, however, a visual condition report is appropriate only where an installation has been inspected and tested within the previous two years, and the results were reported as being satisfactory on an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Periodic Inspection Report, as appropriate, or, where the Periodic Inspection Report included any departures coded as dangerous or potentially dangerous, the defects have been rectified.

It is recommended that only registered electricians who have been approved to carry out periodic inspection reporting are used for such work.

Further information relating to periodic inspection reporting is available as a free download from our website in the document Periodic Inspection Reporting – recommendation codes for domestic and similar Installations (Best Practice Guide No 4) at www.esc.org.uk, where further information and guidance for consumers on the subject may also be found.

authority within seven days of receiving a request in writing for it from that authority.

In Scotland, the Houses in multiple occupation: a guide for landlords produced by the Scottish Government recommends

electrical system (and any appliances provided by the landlord) must be examined by a competent person to confirm they are functioning properly and are safe. Such an examination should be carried out at least once every three years.

Additionally, information relating to periodic inspection reports can be found in Appendix C of the Landlords’ Guide.

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BEST PRACTICE GUIDES Safe isolation

Replacing consumer units

Issue 2 of Best Practice Guide No 2, re-titled Guidance on the management of electrical safety and safe isolation procedures for low voltage installations, has been published and is available for free download from our website www.esc.org.uk

A new, sixth, Best Practice Guide in the series, Replacing a consumer unit in domestic premises, has also been published.

The update takes into account the findings of a court case in Scotland earlier this year concerning the electrocution of an electrician. Much of the revision consists of additional content addressing the management of health and safety on site.

The new Guide covers: •

legal requirements, including the Building Regulations and the Electricity at Work Regulations

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requirements of BS 7671

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main earthing, bonding and meter tails

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reason for change – planned change or distress change

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pre-work survey and risk assessment

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remedial work to the existing installation, where necessary

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inspection, testing and certification.

Lighting circuits having no protective conductor The content of the Best Practice Guide No 6 adds to that of Best Practice Guide No 1, Replacing a consumer unit in domestic premises where lighting circuits have no protective conductor.

This first Guide in the series has also been updated, and is now available for download as Issue 2.

Other new guides

Another case of inadequate and potentially dangerous ‘isolation’ practice. Courtesy HSE

Other new guides in the series may include the accuracy and consistency of test instruments, including plug-in socket-outlet test devices. News about the development of this and other guides will be given in future issues of Switched On.

BACK ISSUES OF SWITCHED ON

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Availability and updates All our Best Practice Guides are available to download free of charge from the ‘Business and Community’ section of our website, www.esc.org.uk If you make use of our Best Practice Guides, we recommend that you visit the website at intervals to check if they have been updated since you last downloaded them.

All the previous issues of Switched On are available to read or download from the ‘Business & Community’ section of our website.