The ‘Legislation Hierarchy’ starts with:

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 puts a duty of care upon both employer  and employee to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises. This includes the self-employed.

And then:

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 state:

"As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, such danger". (Regulation 4(2))

'''System' means an electrical system in which all the electrical equipment is, or may be, electrically connected to a common source of electrical energy and includes such source and such equipment". (Regulation 2(1))

"Electrical equipment includes anything used, intended to be used or installed for use, to generate, provide, transmit, transform, rectify, convert, conduct, distribute, control, store, measure or use electrical energy". (Regulation 2(1)

also:

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 state:

"Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of

• (a)  the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work, and

• (b) the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking ". (Regulation 3(1))

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 state:

"Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided". (Regulation 4(1)

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) cover most risks that can result from using work equipment. With respect to risks from electricity, compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 is likely to achieve compliance with PUWER regulations 5-9, 19 and 22.

PUWER only applies to work equipment used by workers at work. This includes all work equipment (fixed, portable or transportable) connected to a source of electrical energy. PUWER does not apply to the fixed installations in a building. The electrical safety of these installations is dealt with only by the Electricity at Work Regulations.

The ‘Nuts and Bolts’ of compliance with all of the above is brought together in “The Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment”, Published by the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

If your current contractor hasn’t heard of this or hasn’t got a copy - STAY AWAY! 

He doesn’t know what he’s doing!