These regulations stipulate how you should handle electrical machinery on site. They must be read in conjunction with the OHSA. Some of the more important definitions to note are: “Confined space”; “Earthed”; “Electric fence”; “Portable electric tool”.
If your employees work with live electrical machinery or dead electrical machinery which may become live, then this regulation is applicable.
Compliance Obligations?
An employer is under a duty to provide personal protective equipment that is in good condition and which is free of charge to prevent potential incidents from occurring, especially in situations where employees are working in close proximity to live electrical machinery.
If a person is on medication, that person will only be allowed to perform his/her duties if the side-effects of such medicine does not constitute a threat to the health or safety of the person concerned or other persons at such workplace.
Whenever work is to be carried out on electrical machinery which has been disconnected from all sources of electrical energy, but which may retain an electrical charge, the employer must take certain precautions.
Compliance Obligations?
As far as reasonably practicable, precautions must be taken to ensure that the electrical machinery is earthed to prevent any electrical machinery from being charged or made live whilst persons are working on it.
If you have switchgear and transformers on your premises this regulation applies.
Compliance Obligations?
The way in which switchgear and transformers are housed must comply with regulation 6(1)(a)-(g).
Only authorized personnel are permitted to enter the premises housing switchgear or transformers, unless all live conductors are insulated against inadvertent contact or are screened off.
This regulation applies to electrical machinery with control gear and protective switches.
Compliance Obligations?
All electrical control gear must be capable of automatically isolating the power supply in the event of a fault developing on the machinery.
Wherever reasonable practicable, an interlocking device should be arranged so that the door or cover of the switch cannot be opened unless the switch is on the “off” position and cannot be switched on unless the door is covered or locked.
All controlling apparatus must be permanently marked so as to identify the system or part of the system or the electrical machinery which it controls. If the control apparatus is accessible from the front and the back, these markings should be on both the front and the back.