2.1 Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

Introduction to the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR) form the bedrock of electrical safety law in the United Kingdom. Brought into force under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, these regulations impose statutory duties on employers, employees, and the self-employed to ensure that all electrical systems are safe to use, properly maintained, and operated in a manner that prevents danger. For an electrician undertaking the AM2 assessment, a comprehensive understanding of the EAWR is not just an academic exercise—it is a non-negotiable requirement for safe site working.

The EAWR are goal-setting regulations. Rather than providing a rigid set of prescriptive rules for every possible scenario, they state the safety outcomes that must be achieved. The 'danger' referred to throughout the regulations means the risk of injury from electric shock, burn, arcing, fire, or explosion arising from electrical energy. Compliance with the IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) is widely recognized as a means to achieve compliance with the EAWR, although BS 7671 itself is non-statutory.

Regulation 4: Systems, Work Activities and Protective Equipment

Regulation 4 is the cornerstone of the EAWR, setting out general safety requirements. It states that all systems shall at all times be of such construction as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, danger. Furthermore, every system must be maintained to prevent danger.

Crucially for site working, Regulation 4(3) dictates that every work activity, including the operation, use, and maintenance of a system and work near a system, shall be carried out in such a manner as not to give rise to danger. This extends to the provision of suitable protective equipment. If you are testing an installation, you must use appropriately insulated tools and test equipment (such as GS38 compliant voltage indicators) to satisfy this regulation. The duty to maintain systems applies to both the permanent installation and the temporary tools and equipment used to perform the work.

Regulation 12: Means for Cutting Off the Supply and for Isolation

Regulation 12 mandates that where necessary to prevent danger, suitable means must be available for cutting off the supply of electrical energy to any electrical equipment, and for the isolation of any electrical equipment.

Isolation means the disconnection and separation of the electrical equipment from every source of electrical energy in such a way that this disconnection and separation is secure. This is not simply turning a switch off; it involves ensuring the switch cannot be inadvertently turned back on, typically through the use of a padlock and warning notice (Lockout/Tagout). This regulation is the legal basis for the safe isolation procedures you will perform repeatedly during your AM2 assessment and throughout your career.

Regulation 13: Precautions for Work on Equipment Made Dead

Regulation 13 works in tandem with Regulation 12. It requires that adequate precautions shall be taken to prevent electrical equipment, which has been made dead in order to prevent danger while work is carried out on or near that equipment, from becoming electrically charged during that work.

In practical terms, this means that proving dead is a statutory requirement. You cannot simply isolate a circuit and assume it is safe. You must use an approved voltage indicator, test it against a known source (like a proving unit), test the isolated circuit to verify it is dead, and then re-test the indicator on the known source. Furthermore, securing the point of isolation with a unique key or combination padlock is the 'adequate precaution' required to prevent the system from becoming inadvertently energized while you are working on it.

Regulation 14: Work on or Near Live Conductors

Regulation 14 is perhaps the most restrictive and important regulation regarding site practices. It explicitly states that no person shall be engaged in any work activity on or so near any live conductor (other than one suitably covered with insulating material) that danger may arise unless three strict conditions are met:

1. It is unreasonable in all the circumstances for it to be dead; AND
2. It is reasonable in all the circumstances for the person to be at work on or near it while it is live; AND
3. Suitable precautions (including where necessary the provision of suitable protective equipment) are taken to prevent injury.

Live working is generally prohibited. Diagnostic testing (such as fault finding or measuring voltage/loop impedance) is considered 'live working' and is permitted under condition 2, provided condition 3 is met via the use of GS38 compliant test leads, insulated tools, and appropriate PPE. However, physical alterations, connections, or modifications to live circuits are almost never justified under this regulation. Economic convenience or saving time is never an acceptable justification for live working.

Regulation 16: Persons to be Competent to Prevent Danger and Injury

Regulation 16 states that no person shall be engaged in any work activity where technical knowledge or experience is necessary to prevent danger or injury, unless they possess such knowledge or experience, or are under such degree of supervision as may be appropriate having regard to the nature of the work.

Competence is a combination of training, skills, experience, and knowledge. A newly qualified electrician may be competent to install a domestic ring final circuit but lack the competence to maintain a high-voltage industrial switchgear system. Regulation 16 legally requires you to recognize the limits of your own competence and seek supervision or further training when undertaking unfamiliar tasks. As an apprentice taking the AM2, you are demonstrating the competence required to work independently on low voltage installations.