Collection: Electrical Safety UK
Electrical Safety UK
In recent years there has been a steep rise in electrical fatalities in the UK. The latest figures show that fatal electrical incidents reported to the Health and Safety Executive increased by nearly 70% from 2019 to 2021. So far the figures for 2022 show that 9 people lost their life due to contact with electricity. In the same year there were also 104 serious non-fatal injuries and 17,748 other events that had the potential to cause damage, injury or death as a result of electricity. To put these figures into perspective there were significantly more people killed by direct contact with electricity in the last two years than there was in the previous four years.
Sustainability
Our ongoing pursuit of more sustainable energy sources will see our dependence on electricity as a power source grow considerably in the coming years. Government initiatives to incentivise the installation of energy efficient heat pumps will see 600,000 heat pumps installed each year by 2023. This shift from gas to electricity powered heating systems coupled with the introduction of renewable energy sources such as solar (PV) will mean that the demand for skilled engineers will continue to rise. Building a sustainable future will require the engineers of the future. This will mean more young people taking up apprenticeships, current engineers re-training and learning new skills and experienced engineers passing down their knowledge and experience before they retire.
Design for Regulation
One of the unique qualities of Spurlok is that it’s design has taken into account existing safe isolation regulations. From the devices conception it had always been a requirement for Spurlok to facilitate the locking of a fused spur unit in the OFF position as opposed to just concealing access. This was a deliberate consideration made to ensure that the product would allow engineers to comply with existing safe isolation regulations and guidelines such as:
BS7671 wiring regulations (537.2.1.5):
"Provision shall be made so that means of isolation can be secured in the open position"
Gas Safe’s Technical Bulletin 118 (safe isolation procedure for fused spur units):
“Turn off the switch and remove the fuse carrier where possible. If the carrier is not removable, remove the fuse and secure the carrier in the open position”
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 12 (1) (b) defines isolation as :
“suitable means of ensuring that the supply will remain switched off and inadvertent reconnection prevented”
Safer with Spurlok
As the electrical workforce grows it is important that we are consciously creating a safety culture that builds an awareness of the inherent dangers of working with electricity and infuses practices such as safe isolation into standard working procedures.
I believe that products like Spurlok have the potential change the way safety products are perceived, become ingrained in working practice and ultimately save lives. That being said products like Spurlok only form part of the solution to the electrical safety problem we have in the UK today. In order to prevent trends like the ones seen in recent years from reoccurring it is going to take a concerted effort from businesses, regulatory bodies and individuals to educate, equip and expect.
Educate – Highlight the dangers of working with electricity and instil preventative measures such as safe working practices i.e. Safe Isolation, Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO), Test for dead.
Equip – Provide tools and equipment that will enable engineers to work safely and facilitate best practice i.e. Lock out devices, Voltage indicators, Safety Tags.
Expect - Expect our employees, our colleagues and ourselves to use the education and equipment at our disposal to work safely, holding the safety of ourselves and others in the highest regard at all times.
