If your organisation employs consultants or freelance workers, they may already be bringing their own devices to the workplace. Are these devices included in your preventative planned maintenance (PPM) schedule?
Simple Visual Inspection
Many electrical safety injuries and fires in the workplace are caused by poorly maintained equipment. And yet most electrical hazards can be picked up by simple visual inspection, whether it’s a damaged cable sheath, or loose wires inside a plug. Everyone on your premises has a duty to participate in Health and Safety, by making a simple check of equipment before it’s used under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 . And an annual update to remind workers of their obligations under this law is a wise step.
The Rise of BYOD
Since more freelance and consultant workers are now employed to reduce the number of permanent employees in many businesses, it has become more common for people to bring their own devices to work (BYOD), which may include laptops, tablets, phones and cameras, and mobile phone/tablet chargers.
It’s vitally important for facilities managers to ensure that both the appliances owned by the organisation and those brought in by consultants, contractors and freelancers are included in the organisation’s regular inspection and testing regime. (This includes all electrical equipment, whether battery or mains-powered.) After all, devices used on your premises contribute to the safety (or not) of your workplace.
Preventative Measures
Maintenance of equipment is regulated by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regs 1998 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. These impose a legal requirement on all organisations to ensure electrical safety through a regular testing and inspection regime. This should form a key part of the Health and Safety programme in any organisation or business.
And as part of a planned preventative maintenance programme all appliances should be checked regularly to a timescale dictated by your internal Risk Assessments. For example, a 110V tool transformer typically used for construction site work, and loaded in and out of a van on a daily basis should be tested every 3 months, because it’s more likely to sustain damage due to repeated handling. Industrial sites, such as workshops and commercial kitchens may require appliance testing every six months, because they are intensively used. A large photocopier that is never moved might only require testing every couple of years. In the unfortunate event of a fire, the Risk Assessment is your evidence that you have considered the risks. Your inspection programme is your evidence that you have taken steps to reduce risk where reasonably practicable.
Why Engage a PAT Company?
If your organisation has a Fire Audit as part of your insurance renewal, you may be asked to prove that you are meeting your obligations for regular testing and inspection. Using a high quality PAT testing service means your testing and inspection is carried out by a neutral third party – every plug opened and inspected by hand, and tested with a properly calibrated meter. In addition, Kingsmead Testing inspects the length of any cables or extension leads, to make sure a thorough inspection has been completed. We flag any appliances that fail the testing, and recommend that they are taken out of use immediately.
A thorough check ensures that the cheeky heater, or fan and extension cable that may have been brought in from home is safe for use, and will not cause an electrical fire.
BYOD Safety Testing
We encourage our clients to advertise a Bring Your Own Device safety testing session to all employees, including contractors, consultants and freelance workers, so that all devices used in the workplace can be at the office on the day when we test the other appliances. This common-sense approach means we can catch everything in one visit! And our customers have added peace of mind.
Ready to chat about your PAT testing requirements? Contact Grant today on 01628 850650.
