does anyone have any examples of the use of risk assesments within an electrical installation that I could mull over?

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- Dave
http://www.pamperhouse.net
http://www.invertedcircle.co.uk

the only risk assessment i do is.. are they going to pay me.

I can send you a one for installing 14 tonne industrial washing machines?!

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Nick

If UHM's helped then please check out UHM's Nominated charity - http://www.donnasdreamhouse.co.uk/

What type of installation and what you doing?

got an assignment to do a risk assesment to replace an immersion heater for an old deaf blind man with dogs and cats who looks after a young child. although my initial thoughts were to mark it as a significant risk with control measures of locking them all in seperate rooms while i perform the maintenance....

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- Dave
http://www.pamperhouse.net
http://www.invertedcircle.co.uk

hmmm pleanty of risks to go at there, I dont think we have a generic of that exact situation.

Before you can do a risk assessment you need a method statement. In the days before live working was outlawed I have often had to work in pairs of as group of three because it was considered if something went wrong then one person remains with injured man and one goes for help.

When working in a building with occupants we would normally expect those occupants to in the case of something going wrong to go for help. If those occupants can't do that then of course you have to at least work in pairs.

I know we all from time to time break rules and do things like only switch and lock off the line and leave neutral connected or work in the consumer unit live. However the rules say isolate elsewhere and in a domestic this often can only be done by pulling the DNO fuse. Even then the neutral is still connected. In an ideal world we would have an isolator not part of the consumer unit to switch off the power and there was a move at one time to provide these as without the isolator one can't work in a consumer unit without breaking the rules. If you don't draw the DNO fuse you break HSE rules if you do you break DNO rules.

This is where making up a risk assessment becomes a problem as one has to admit one is going to break the rules. I am not saying we are doing things which are not safe but we are breaking rules.

There is also the question of a premises being habitable. To remove heating, lighting, water etc. makes the premises uninhabitable and unless alternative accommodation is provided we are not permitted to do this. Again we all break the rules and normally we get around it some way. But if for example one was doing an electrical condition report and one to complete this turned off the power. Then found a dangerous fault we are left in a difficult position as we should not turn the power back on however neither should we leave the premises uninhabitable. My normal way is to tell the client "It is dangerous and I am not permitted to switch the power back on but I can't stop you from switching it on." However I would not want to put that in writing.

So when you do a method statement and risk assessment then you have to consider what is the official way to do the job rather than the way you normally do the job. Often this means you need the occupants to vacate the premises during the time the work is being done.

Remember any PPE required by workers is also required by visitors. You can see the problems getting safety boots for all living in the premises. Dust masks may also be required.

Running power cables is also a problem. As soon as we start work it is technically a building site so reduced low voltage is required and that includes the residents kettle.

So if following the rule book to the letter then with a normal house we could not work with the residents still there. With a large house we make be able to cordon off parts of the house.

Clearly you can't lock anyone into a room. Should there be a fire they would need to be able to escape. I would consider an attendant to escort the residents when they needed to move. Clearly it's not a one man job one would have to work in pairs and one of the pair would need to be available to escort as and when required.

What one has to consider is who has asked for the risk assessment? And how vague can it be worded? What we don't want to do is to admit we are breaking the rules. With my two grand daughters I would have no worries they would do as told. However my grand son would be something completely different. The same applies to my parents and my in-laws my parents would sit nicely but my mother-in-law would fight you if you tried to stop her roaming.

So will the residents give you an undertaking to remain in one room and agree to escort system to move around the house? Clearly not a job for a sole trader it will need buddy system.