The primary objective of most electrical testing is to protect people and prevent property damage or fire. And the first step in ensuring safety is the safe isolation of the live electrical systems you are working on. So safe isolation is an essential stage of electrical testing and it requires competence, experience and the correct test equipment in order to successfully carry it out.
Current UK legislation, such as the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, states that employers must take reasonable steps to minimise the risk of injury and death from electrical systems while at work. This comes on the back of more general legislation – the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – which places a duty on employers to protect employees and keep them safe in the workplace. This translates into various safety procedures, but where electrical systems are involved, safe isolation is the starting point to ensuring safety while operations such as testing, servicing and maintenance take place.
Understanding safe isolation of electrical systems
Safe isolation is a formal, structured procedure whereby a live electrical circuit or piece of equipment is temporarily disconnected from its power supply. The user must also go though the process of confirming the circuit is dead before a visible indication is displayed to show the circuit is isolated and a physical lock is placed on the power supply, to prevent accidental re-energisation. This must all be processed before any work can begin. This process prevents employees being unwittingly exposed to a risk of electrical shock, burns or fire by having contact with a live circuit.
Why is safe isolation important?
Safe isolation protects two types of people; the people working on a live circuit, and the people who could have contact with a live circuit. Safe isolation therefore eliminates any risk of accidental contact with live wires or components and removes a risk of electric shock for everyone, whether they are involved in the live electrical work or not. It is possible that a live circuit has been mislabelled or wired up incorrectly, so it is also necessary to prove a circuit is dead and the correct circuit is locked off.
It is also the case that safe isolation ensures that an employer complies with current legislation and has gone through the correct processes to protect employees and keep them safe from the risks associated with electrical work.
How is safe isolation carried out?
Safe isolation must be carried out in accordance with the relevant, prescribed electrical safe isolation process applicable to the environment that you are working in.
At Test Instrument Solutions we have a wide range of safe isolation equipment, including caution notices and lock-off materials.
Please note that this section is for information purposes only. Anyone using equipment referred to in this section must be suitably qualified and/or experienced within the respective field. If in doubt before use, please consult a qualified electrician or engineer & thoroughly read all instruction booklets.