Competence electrical persons

Competent electrical person - a person possessing sufficient electrical knowledge and experience to avoid the risks to health and safety associated with electrical equipment and electricity in general. 

The principal contractor normally provides the temporary electrical installation. If he has an in house electrical department, he may well install and maintain the installation and, in such a case, he is responsible for its safety. The electrical staff member in charge of the site installation will exercise the technical responsibility. This official should ensure that the planned maintenance is done and that defects and breakdowns are reported and rectified immediately. Some main contractors hire the distribution equipment and arrange for the hirer to install and maintain it. As the occupier, they still retain responsibility for the safe use of the electrical installation, but responsibility for its maintenance in a safe condition rests on the hirer who should appoint competent, electrically qualified persons to do the work. 

In this chapter we argue that for hydrogen and fuel cells to compete in a future automobility market, they must be integrated with mobility and information systems. Mobile electricity and communications extend the choice framework, especially in terms of time-space zones and personal and social investments in those zones, and emphasize choice mechanisms over localized practices. All locations become globalized and vehicles become addresses. 

No naked flames should be present in the sulfur storage area and all electrical wiring and motors should be flame proof. Hot permits should be issued by competent and experienced persons before undertaking any cutting or welding activities in such areas. 

Stand-alone systems are not connected to the electricity supply system and are therefore exempt from much of BS 7671, the lET Regulations. However, Regulation 134.1.1 good workmanship by competent persons and proper materials shall be... 

The final choice of a wiring system must rest with those designing the installation and those ordering the work, but whatever system is employed, good workmanship by competent persons and the use of proper materials is essential for compliance with the lET Regulations (lET Regulation 134.1.1). The necessary skills can be acquired by an electrical trainee who has the correct attitude and dedication to his craft. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a guidance note (GS 38) which advises electricians and other electrically competent people on the selection of suitable test probes, voltage-indicating devices and measuring instruments. This is because they consider suitably constructed test equipment to be as vital for personal safety as the training and practical skills of the electrician. In the past, unsatisfactory test probes and voltage indicators have frequently been the cause of accidents, and therefore all test probes must now incorporate the following features ... 

A COMPETENT PERSON is therefore one who has the ability to perform a particular task safely and properly. Generally speaking an electrician will have the necessary skills to perform a wide range of electrical tasks competently. 

The HSE Regulation 16 states that persons must be competent to prevent danger. so that the person themselves or others are not placed at risk due to a lack of skill when dealing with electrical equipment . 

A display panel should be installed for both electrical and automatic fire alarms which shows the location of the alarm that has been initiated. Weekly tests should be made of the fire alarm so that people become familiar with the sound and so that any faults in the system can be detected and corrected. The fire alarm installation must be inspected and maintained on a regular and routine basis and a record made of all tests and inspections. This record should also include details of any faults, repairs and replacements. Inspections of the system should be carried out quarterly by a competent person. In high fire risk areas, serious consideration should be given to installing an automatic link from the display panel to the local fire brigade. 

The periodic inspection and testing by a competent person of electrical plant and installations as a statutory requirement arises only under the Cinematograph (Safety) Regulations 1955 which require inspection and testing by a competent person every twelve months. 

Unless an employer is using the maximum transient overvoltages specified in Table V-8 for voltages over 72.5 kilovolts, the employer must use persons knowledgeable in the techniques discussed in this appendix, and competent in the field of electric transmission and distribution system design, to determine the maximum transient overvoltage. 

The electricity supply company has one of its conductors solidly connected to the earth and every circuit supplied by the company must have one of its conductors connected to earth. This means that if there is a fault, such as a break in the circuit, the current, known as the earth fault current, will return directly to earth, which forms the circuit of least resistance, thus maintaining the supply circuit. This process is known as earthing. Other devices, such as fuses and residual currertt devices, which will be described later, will also be needed within the circuit to interrupt the current flow to earth so as to protect people from electric shock and equipment from overheating. Good and effective earthing is absolutely essential and must be connected and checked by a competent person. Where a direct contact with earth is not possible, for example, in a motor car, a common voltage reference point is used, such as the vehicle chassis. 

For small factories and office or shop premises where the system voltages are normally at mains voltage, it may be necessary for an external competent person to be available to offer the necessary advice. Managers must set up a high voltage permit-to-work system for all work at and above 600 volts. The system should be appropriate to the extent of the electrical system involved. Consideration should also be given to the introduction of a permit system for voltages under 600 volts when appropriate and for all work on live conductors. 

All fixed electrical installations should be inspected and tested periodically by a competent person, such as a member of the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC). 

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