How to Mitigate Electrical Risks in Your Workplace

Managing electrical risks means deciding who looks after the equipment, identifying problems and making sure action follows. Inspection and testing support that process, alongside suitable equipment, safe use and prompt fault reporting.

Start with the equipment and the people using it

Walk through each work area with the responsible person. Identify the appliances, leads, chargers and machinery in use, including hired items and equipment brought in by staff. Consider who could be harmed, how damage might occur and whether existing controls are suitable.

• Look for damaged plugs or cables, overheating, unsuitable equipment near water and connections exposed to crushing or impact.
• Check how extension leads are used and whether connected loads exceed their marked rating.
• Identify specialist equipment, restricted areas and essential systems that need separate arrangements.

Use HSE’s risk-assessment guidance to structure the assessment. Higher-risk work needs competent advice appropriate to the hazards.

Act on defects and warning signs

Stop using suspect equipment and report it through your site procedure. Disconnect it only if it is safe to do so, prevent reuse and arrange assessment by a competent person. Keep failed equipment out of service until appropriately repaired and assessed as safe, or replace it.

Repeated tripping, burning smells or damaged sockets need attention. Do not keep resetting protective devices or attempt fixed-wiring repairs without the relevant competence. A surge protector does not prevent every fault or make overloading acceptable.

For smoke or fire, raise the alarm, evacuate and call 999. Do not put yourself at risk to unplug equipment or fight a fire.

Give each inspection the right job

A PAT visit is not a complete workplace risk assessment and does not replace an EICR or specialist maintenance. See the difference between PAT testing and EICR.

Plan maintenance around the actual risks

Consider the equipment, its surroundings, how it is used and previous inspection findings when setting maintenance arrangements. HSE explains how these factors influence checks and testing.

Set responsibilities and workable dates, then review them when equipment moves, use changes or faults recur. There is no single annual PAT interval suitable for every item. See our inspection and testing frequency guide.

For essential equipment, agree shutdown permission, access and any temporary arrangements before a visit. Record items that could not be tested and arrange follow-up; a visual check must not be presented as a completed electrical test.

Keep an action record that people can use

• Identify the item, its location and the concern or failed result.
• Assign someone to arrange repair, replacement or specialist assessment.
• Record what was done and the evidence supporting its return to service.
• Update the equipment list when items are moved, replaced or removed.

Give staff a simple way to report defects and explain when to stop using equipment. Clear responsibilities and an accessible action list are more useful than filing a report without reviewing it.

Our report and label examples show how itemised records help connect an appliance to its result.

Arrange the equipment-testing part of your plan

AiO provides commercial PAT testing across the South and South West from our Christchurch base. Tell us the site postcode, approximate item count, equipment types and access requirements so the visit can be scoped properly.

Get your PAT testing quote or speak to AiO about a larger or multi-site programme. For the wider process, use our PAT testing guide.