Whether you manage a business, rent out properties or are thinking of selling your home, electrical safety is important. As a business owner, you have a responsibility to clients and employees to maintain electrical equipment and protect them from potential risks. As a landlord, safety testing of electrical appliances is crucial for the protection of your tenants. Those looking to sell their properties must provide an up to date record of the testing of all electrical appliances for the potential buyers before an offer is put in on the property.
How to Guarantee Electrical Safety
All electrical appliances deteriorate with age and use, meaning that periodic inspections should be carried out to guarantee that installations are safe for use. A periodic inspection is required to determine whether there are any potential electric shock risks or fire hazards. If any of your circuits are overloaded or if previous electrical work is defective, the inspection will highlight this. Bonding and earthing will also be checked for suitability during a periodic inspection.
During the Inspection
While the periodic inspection is being carried out, you should inform the electrician whether there is any change to how the property or commercial building is being used on a day-to-day basis, as this will affect the electrical safety report. They will check the condition of your electrical circuits and equipment in accordance with the UK standard for the safety of electrical installations.
Warning Signs
There are certain electrical components that are no longer safe for use. If your home, rental property or office building contains any of these, it’s definitely worth getting in touch with your landlord or a registered electrician. These include:
- Old fuse boxes with wooden backs
- Cast iron switches
- Round pin sockets
- Black switches
- Round light switches
- Electrical sockets mounted on skirting boards
- Cables coated in black rubber or fabric
It’s useful to be aware what outdated electrical components look like so that you can easily spot them. At work, all employees should be encouraged to report electrical faults or damaged appliances so that they can be removed from circulation and replaced as quickly as possible. Periodic inspections should only be carried out by electrically competent persons, using EU approved testing equipment, like the PAT testers available from specialist firms like PASS. Never attempt to undertake an electrical safety inspection if you lack the relevant training and expertise.