PAT Testing Legal Requirements

The legislation of specific relevance to electrical maintenance is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety At Work Regulations 1999, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty of care both upon employer and employee to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises, this also includes the self employed.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states "every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of"

• the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work.
• the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 state "every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided".

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 cover most risks that can result from using work equipment. It should be noted that this includes, but is not solely, electrical equipment.  With respect to risk from electricity compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 is likely to achieve compliance with PUWER Regulations 5-9, 19 and 22.

PUWER only applies to work equipment used by workers at work this includes all work equipment (fixed, portable or transportable) connected to a source of electrical energy.  PUWER does not apply to the fixed installations of the building, the sdafety of these is specifically dealt with in the Electricty at Work Regulations.

The Electricity At Works Regulations 1999 state

• as may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable, such danger.
• system means an electrical system in which all the elctrical equipment is or maybe electrically connected to a common source of electrical energy and includes such source and equipment.
• electrical equipment includes anything used, intended to be used or installed for use to generate, provide, transmit, transform, rectify, convert, conduct, distribute, control, store, measure or use electrical energy.