...Neil Stedman reports on a seminar held in Dublin on the implications of a little know - and possibly even less complied with - safety regulation with regard to portable electrical appliances.

Since 2nd May 2001, when Health & Safety Regulation S.I. No 188: 2001, Safety, Health and Welfare at work (General Applicaation) (Amendment) Regulations 2001, was signed into law in Ireland, all companies and persons responsible for health, safety and welfare have been legally obliged to have all portable electrical appliances regularly checked - and the records kept for five years.

"Portable" in this instance means any device with a plug top that can be removed from an electrical supply - so, far example, it includes a large but far from 'carriable' widescreen television or fridge freezer, as well as the obvious on-site installation tools.So exactly what tests have to be carried out, how frequently, in order to comply with S.I,. 188: 2001. The Regulations do not give specific answers, but the Health and Safety Authority has stated that in the absence of such definitions by Regulation then it use. IEE Regulations and Codes of Practices .Also, the EU "Use of Work 2 Equipment" Directive (89/655/EEC) places a responsibility on all organisations to ensure that their employees can use equipment at work "without impairment to their safety or health".

Definitive answers to those two questions may only come as a result of High Court cases -but employers would be well advised not to wait until then, but act now, for the safety of their employees and to be able to show any Court that they have exercised all due diligence by being able to well documented records of safety checks. Electrical retailers would be giving themselves additional "protection" if they are able to show that all portable electrical appliances have been checked at the time of delivery to the consumer.

Supernova Plus

One company offering such solutions' is PATesting , which has formed a business partnership with Seaward Electronic Ltd, market leaders in manufacturing equipment for appliance testing. The two companies held well-attended seminars in Dublin this month to outline the implications of the legislation. Two training workshops were also held in the use of Seaward's new Supernova Plus portable appliance tester, a dual voltage tester, with flash capability, that is capable of testing IT and is described by Seaward as "the world's most comprehensive PAT tester". Tommy Maher of PATesting (Ireland) Ltd told the seminar: "While the Seaward catalogue offers a wide range of testing equipment, we have decided to concentrate on the top-of-the-range Supernova Plus because it does everything a company will need." You don't even need to buy the tester, as PATesting (Ireland) will provide a network of testers. The company is also establishing a calibration centre, as well as a central database, in which a company can store its test results if it so wishes. " We believe this will be very widely used;' said Tomniy Maher. In addition, Seaward's PAC500 Plus is an enhanced manual "go-no-go" portable appliance checker suitable for quick checks on delivered and/ or installed appliances. The unit is a hand-held instrument, ideal for such service applications, that performs fundamental safety checks on Class 1 and Class 11 equipment and provides neon Pass/fail indication. The unit checks the electrical safety of both portable appliances and leads. ~ .