Module 7 / working effectively and safely in n electrotechnical environment

What legislation has the government implemented to improve safe working practices and welfare for workers?

• The Health and Morals of Apprentices Act of 1802.

• The Factories Act of 1833.

• The Electricity (Factories Act) Special Regulations, 1908 and 1944.

What is the electricity at work regulations (EAWR)?

Created: 1st April 1989 (33 regulations)

What it does

Ensures electrical systems are constructed and maintained to prevent danger. It is the main electrical safety law in the UK. This is a statutory legislation.

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

• Employees

• Self-employed persons

Affects

Any workplace with electrical systems

Key things to remember

• Reg 4 : systems must be constructed to prevent danger.

• Reg 13: Work on or near live conductors

• Reg 14: Live working only when justified

• Reg 16: Competence of persons

What is the building regulations - Part P (Electrical safety)?

Created: 2005 (18 main parts)

What it does

Ensures electrical installations in dwellings are safe. Requires electrical work to meet BS 7671 standards. This is a statutory legislation.

Legal duties apply to

• Installers

• Builders

• Property owners

Affects

Domestic electrical work including:

• houses

• flats

• gardens

• outbuildings

Things to remember

Notifiable work:

• New circuits

• Consumer unit replacement

• Work in special locations

Competent person schemes:

• NICEIC

• NAPIT

• ELECSA

What is the health and safety at work act (HASAW)?

Created: 1974 (84 main parts)

Purpose

This is the main UK health and safety law.
It provides the framework for workplace safety legislation including the Electricity at Work Regulations. This is a statutory legislation.

Enforced by

• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

• Local authorities

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

• Employees

• Self-employed persons

• Manufacturers and suppliers of equipment

Who it affects

Anyone at work in the UK

Key thing to remember

• Section 2 - Duty of employers to employees

• Section 3 - Duty of others affected

• Section 7 - Employee responsibilities

What is the Electricity safety, quality and continuity regulation (ESQCR)?

Created :2002 (35 regulations)

What it does:

Regulates electricity supply networks and distribution systems in order to protect the public and the consumer.

Covers:

• earthing arrangements

• supply characteristics

• network safety

Legal duties apply to

• Electricity distributors

• Network operators

Affects

• Supply companies

• Installations connected to supply networks.

What is the provision and use of work equipment regulations (PUWER)?

Created: 1998 (37 regulation)

What it does

Ensures work equipment is:

• safe

• maintained

• inspected

• used by trained people

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

• Workplaces

Affects

Electrical equipment used at work.

What is the Management of health and safety at work regulations?

Created: Year: 1999 (27 regulations)

What it does

Requires:

• risk assessments

• safe working procedures

• competent staff

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

Affects

All workplaces including electrical work.

What is the Control of substances hazardous to health regulations (COSHH)?

Created: 1992

Last updated: 2002 (18 regulations)

What it does

COSHH requires that employers control exposure to hazardous substances both to protect employees and any others who may be exposed to such hazards from work activities. Statutory requirement.

Hazardous substances include:

• chemicals

• dust

• biological agents

• cleaning chemicals

• battery acid

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

• Employees

• Self-employed workers

Affects

Anyone working with or exposed to hazardous substances.

What is the work at height regulations?

Created: 2005 ( 17 regulations)

What it does

Prevents injury from falls when working at height.

Work at height includes:

• ladders

• roofs

• platforms

• towers

• installing lighting

• cable tray installation

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

• Self-employed workers

• Anyone controlling work at height

Affects

All workers working at height.

Key principles (very important for exams)

Hierarchy of control:

• Avoid working at height where possible

• Use safe equipment to prevent falls

• Minimise distance and consequences of a fall

Key exam points

• Equipment must be inspected regularly

• Workers must be trained

• Work must be planned and supervised

What is the Lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations (LOLER)?

Created: 1998 (17 regulations)

What it does

Ensures lifting equipment is safe and properly inspected.

Examples:

• cranes

• hoists

• lifting platforms

• chain blocks

• MEWPs

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

• People controlling lifting equipment

Affects

Workers using lifting equipment.

Key requirements

Equipment must be:

• Strong and stable

• Marked with Safe Working Load (SWL)

• Thoroughly examined

What does PPE stand for and what are some examples of it?

Created: 1992

Updated: 2022

What it does

Requires employers to provide appropriate protective equipment where risks cannot be controlled by other means. This is a statutory legislation.

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

Affects

• Employees and workers.

What is the workplace (health, safety and welfare) regulations?

Created: 1992 ( 27 regulations)

What it does

Ensures workplaces are safe and suitable for workers. This regulation is statutory.

Legal duties apply to

• Employers

• People controlling workplaces.

Affects

All workplaces.

Key areas covered Workplace conditions

• ventilation

• temperature

• lighting

Welfare facilities

• toilets

• washing facilities

• drinking water

• rest areas

Safety

• safe floors

• safe traffic routes

• maintenance of workplace

What is the construction (Design and management) regulations?

Created: 1994

Current version: CDM 2015 (37 regulations)

What it does

The general provision of the regulations is to set out minimum standards necessary to promote safety on site. The regulations place specific duties on clients, designers and contractors to rethink their approach to health and safety, so that it is taken into account throughout the life of a construction project, from its inception to its subsequent final demolition and removal. These statutory regulations apply to all aspects of a construction site.

Affects

All construction projects in the UK.

Key exam points

• Risk must be designed out where possible

• A Construction Phase Plan must exist

• A Health and Safety File must be produced

Equipment	Inspection
Lifting equipment	Every 12 months
Equipment lifting people	Every 6 months

Difference between switching off and isolation.

And how many poles are single, three and four phase installations isolated by using.

• Switching off may involve the breaking of normal load current or even higher current due to overload or short circuit.

• Isolation is concerned with keeping the already dead circuit dead, so that re-closing the switch is not unintentionally possible.

A single-phase installation may be isolated using a double-pole device or a single pole device. An installation supplied with a three-phase or a four-wire system may be isolated using a three-pole or four-pole switch. A semi-conductor device, e.g. a dimmer, cannot be used for isolation.

What are all types of signs on a construction site?

• Prohibition signs

• Warning signs

• Information signs

• Mandatory signs

In the event of you discovering someone who has had an accident it is important that you check what?

• Check for further danger to yourself and the casualty

• Make an assessment of the casualty – are they bleeding, are they breathing, are they unconscious

• Only move the casualty if it is really necessary;

• for serious injuries the casualty should remain still until professional medical help has arrived

All accidents must be reported to the employer and details recorded into the accident book. To do so what do I need to record?

• The date and time of the accident.

• The details of what happened.

• The details of the person injured.

• The details of the injury sustained.

• The details of any witnesses.

• The name and signature of the person reporting the accident.

What to do in event of an electric shock.

1. Check your own safety. Ensure that you would not put yourself in any danger by helping the casualty.

2. Break the electrical contact by either switching off the supply, or removing the plug (if it is undamaged).

a) If necessary pull the cable free (only attempt this if the cable and plug, etc. are undamaged) or;

b) Break the contact by pushing or pulling the casualty free using non-conductive material, e.g. a wooden broom.

3. Check whether the casualty is conscious. If they are and it is possible, guide them to a safe place, making sure that further injuries are not sustained, e.g. banging their head falling down, etc.

What does the electrotechnical industry encompass?

It encompasses a number of specialisms which range from things like electrical maintenances and repairs to public lighting installations.

What does maintenance cover in the construction industry?

This covers the repair, refurbishment and restoration of existing buildings and structures.

What does civil engineering cover in the construction industry?

Civil engineering involves the construction and installation of services for large structures such as bridges, roads, motorways, docks, harbours and mines.

What does building and structural engineering cover in the construction industry?

This type of company broadly covers the construction and installation of services for buildings such as factories, offices, shops, leisure centres, hospitals, schools, and of course, houses. Specialist contractors are normally the people who operate in this field.

What are different types of specialist jobs for an electrician?

• Highway electrical systems

• cable jointing

• electrical maintenance

• Electrical machine drive installations

• panel building

• instrumentations

How a design stage works for projects?

The architect, consulting engineer, quantity surveyor and clerks of works are traditionally part of the architect’s design team.

In smaller firms, the client expects the electrician to ensure that the installation is properly designed and carried out.

In larger firms, they might have an internal architect team that makes things simpler and possibly cheaper.

What is a tendering process?

Tendering is the process by which a contractor works with the drawings and specifications issued by the consulting engineer and submits in writing, in competition with others, a total estimated cost for carrying out the work (i.e. materials, tools, equipment and labour).

What does an estimator do?

The estimator’s task is to calculate the total cost that will be given in the tender.

How can all types of information be stored?

• Email (most used way)

• Printers

• Fax machine

• Telephone

• written messages ( hand written notes)

• USB flash memory drives

• Electronic file server

• external flash drives

• optical media (CDs)

• microforms (stores images)

• Printed materials (papers)

What is an assembly drawing?

Assembly drawings are technical drawings that illustrate how multiple components fit together to form a complete product or structure, showing the arrangement and relationship of parts

What is a block diagram?

A block diagram can be used to relate information about a circuit without giving details of components or the manner in which they are connected. In block diagrams, the various items are represented by a simple figure or symbol, such as square or rectangle, labelled to indicate its purpose.

What is a circuit diagram?

Circuit diagrams use symbols to represent all circuit components and shows how these are connected. A circuit diagram should be as clear as possible and follow a logical progression route from supply to output. In all other respects, the circuit diagram cannot be regarded as a direct source of information. This is because it does not represent the physical outline of the circuit

What is a lay out diagram?

They are often based upon architects’ drawings of the building in which the electrical system is to be installed. This type of drawing shows the required position of all equipment, metering and control gear, and they normally show the plan view of the installation.

Why is recording of drawing changes so important?

In an ideal world, every installation would exactly follow the architect’s, designer’s, or consulting engineer’s original plans. In reality, however, everyone knows that problems can occur which will mean that cables must be routed in another way, or conduit must be fixed in a different position. These changes must be recorded so that, in future, when maintenance or alterations are needed, the actual layout of the installation is known.

What is a schematic diagram?

These diagrams do not show precisely how to wire components but they do show how the circuit is intended to work. Schematic diagrams tend to be used for larger, more complicated electrical installations such as control systems for motor starters and heating systems (Like a standard circuit diagram with symbols).

What is a site plan?

A site plan will show the entire area that is being worked upon. In terms of a house, for example, the site plan would not just show a single room or a floor but the whole dwelling, including all the land and gardens up to and including the property boundary.

What is a Wiring diagram?

The physical layout is taken into consideration. The components and connections show a pictorial version of those found in the actual circuit. Wiring diagrams can be used to carry information of a specific nature relating to the connection or wiring of components.

How are manufacturers data and service manuals used?

Almost all equipment will be supplied with manufacturers’ fitting instruction and other technical data or information sheets. These should be read and understood. Occasionally you may need more details about an item. You can get this from the manufacturer’s catalogue or datasheets, website, or by speaking directly to the manufacturer. Once the installation of the item is complete, they should be kept safely in a central file then to be given to the customer once the installation is installed.

What is a Gantt chart used for and how does it work?

A Gantt chart shows jobs or activities (normally in one colour) and when it is due to happen and for how long it will take. Main contractors use this sort of chart as it shows when individual trades are coming into a site. Another line of colour can be added underneath the certain trade to show weather it is on time or behind schedule.

How do scales work when designing?

Layout, assembly and site drawings give information about physical objects, such as the floor layout in a building, or a mechanical object. If the drawing were the same size as the object, the drawings would often be far too big to handle.

To find a measurement on the actual physical object, you measure the distance on the drawing and multiply it by the scale.

1:100 means in reality the object is 100 times bigger than on paper. Where as, 100:1 means the object is magnified 100 times bigger on paper than in reality. Any types of units can be used.

What must scaffolding that is built to a height greater than 2 m have?

Toe boards and guard rails

Actual full-size measurements calculated by taking measurements from the drawing and multiplying them by?

100

What is the difference between schematic and circuit diagrams?

• A schematic diagram focuses on the logical function of an electrical circuit, showing how components are connected and how the circuit is supposed to behave.

• A circuit diagram, on the other hand, is a more detailed representation that includes the physical layout of components and wiring, including specific wire colours.