Electricity at Work Regulations

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR) places a legal obligation on employers and employees to ensure that electrical systems used at work are safe.

Although the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 generally considers all working environments, EAWR places specific duties on all work activities that involve electricity, from battery powered equipment up to and including the Super Grid at 400,000 volts.

Become compliant with EAWR

In order to achieve compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR) all electrical systems are required to be proven to be safe, not only in their design and construction but also in their everyday use.  This everyday use is where much confusion lies, for example when cross referenced with BS 7671 the IEE Wiring Regulations which are not statutory.  Although adhering to the guidance given by BS 7671 is the normal standard adopted, there may be occasions where BS 7671 is not complied with yet compliance with EAWR is achieved.

Many of today’s companies find themselves with a ’shrinking’ maintenance / technical staff and therefore ensuring compliance with EAWR becomes more and more difficult to preserve without specific training for maintenance / engineering managers in this field.

Although the term ‘Duty Holder’ will always crop up in discussions on EWAR unfortunately the title is probably the most least understood with regards to ‘Who is the Duty Holder’ and ‘What the Duty Holder can and can’t enforce’.

Emtac can assist you in surveying your workplace and providing an EAWR assessment along with constructive recommendations.   We can also provide bespoke EAWR training for your engineering staff,  ‘Duty Holder’ in order to achieve self sufficiency in compliance with EAWR.

For more information or to discuss your requirement please contact us on 01909 564 044 or use our online contact form.