Electrical Safety Management: A structured approach

to assessing and controlling your own risk

16–17 May 2018 | Manchester Conference Centre

08:30 Day 1 - Registration and Refreshments

09:00 Introduction – Bill Tubey

An introduction to managing electrical safety

09:15 Why good electrical safety management matters - Bill Bates
 The dangers of electricity
 What goes wrong and why - incidents and case studies
 How electrical safety management reduces the risk
 Recent legal cases
Managing Risk
09:45 Managing Risk - Bill Bates
 Effects of failure
 Incident statistics
 Typical faults and incidents
 Risk management
10:15 Case study 1
Delegates to bring – Risk assessment for work in LV panel with standby supplies from
a generator and a UPS, involving terminating and connecting a cable in the panel.
Case study – Electrician is electrocuted in LV panel. Does your risk assessment stand
up?
Interview by HSE Inspector. Consider:
 List the dangers
 Identify who might be harmed and how
 Identify ‘control measures’ that are in place
 Identify additional ‘control measures’ that would reduce risk to ALARP
 Produce method statement i.e. describe how the work will be done and checked
 Review and improve
11:00 Refreshment break
11:30 Reduce risks in the workplace and how the Code of Practice was
developed – Bill Tubey
 Who should use the Code?
 What is the Code’s purpose and structure?
 Where is the Code applicable?
 When should the Code be used?
 Unilever’s case study example of self-assessment

Self-Assessment (sections 3-6 of Code of Practice)

How a structured approach to managing electrical safety can be achieved
12:15 Self-Assessment Tool - identify risks and work towards good practice in
your own organisation - Bill Bates
 A practical approach to managing electrical safety
 Completing the self-assessment - how you manage safety now
 Self-assessment results and improvement guidance

13:00 Lunch
13:45 Managing ‘Policy’ Aspects - Bill Tubey
 Electrical safety policy
 Leadership
 Planning
 Design
 Electrical system standards
14:30 Case study 2
Delegates to bring – Company health and safety policy and electrical safety policy
Case study – Consultant does survey, desk audit, and report for organisation’s design
of installation, risk assessment and use of contractors. Consider:
 Company H&S policy statement (or strategy/vision document)
 What documents ‘sit’ beneath this policy statement?
 Who is responsible for them?
 Who ensures all risks: -
a. have been identified, and
b. appropriate procedures have been produced, and
c. staff have been trained, and
d. compliance has been proved, and
e. procedures reviewed and improved?
f. how does the Board, Chairman, CEO, etc. know about or confirm
compliance? (i.e. what they think is happening is actually happening)
15:15 Refreshment break
15:45 Managing ‘Procedure’ Aspects – Bill Bates
 Identifying and controlling your own risks
 Safe working practices
 Workplace precautions
 Procedures
 Electrical system maintenance
 Electrical system documentation
 Incident investigation
 Measurement of performance
16:30 Case study 3
Delegates to bring – Procedures for LV isolation and work in switchrooms
Case study – LV flashover while fitter maintaining a motor. Consider,
 Risks and their control
 Environment
 Access
 Work undertaken on or near exposed live electrical parts
 Entering switchrooms and substations
 Operating and maintaining high voltage electrical equipment
 Operating electrical machinery
 Using electrical contractors
 Storing, handling and using flammable gases, vapours or dusts
 Buried cables or overhead power lines on or near your site
 Working in confined spaces, at height or in cable trenches
17:00 End of day one
08:30 Day 2 - Registration and Refreshments

Self-Assessment (sections 3-6 of Code of Practice) continued…

How a structured approach to managing electrical safety can be achieved
09:00 Managing ‘People’ Aspects – Bill Tubey
 Appointments, roles and responsibilities
 Training
 Competence
 Cooperation
 Communication
 Audits
09:45 Case study 4
Delegates to bring – Organisation’s Authorisation procedure for electrical work
Case study – Incident where contractor installs an LV board requiring isolation from
another installation controlled by a different organisation. Discuss responsibilities,
competence, authorisation and control aspects

10:15 Managing Specific Aspects – Bill Bates

 Work undertaken on or near exposed live electrical parts
 Operating electrical machinery
 Using electrical contractors
 Storing, handling and using flammable gases, vapours or dusts
 Buried cables on your land
 Overhead power lines on or near your site
 Operating and maintaining high voltage electrical equipment
10:45 Refreshment break
11:15 Case study 5
Case study – Reviewing the contents of typical electrical safety rules for HV and LV
systems

Evaluation of self-assessment and next steps (sections 7-8 of Code of Practice)

11:45 Self-Assessment Evaluation - Bill Bates & Bill Tubey
 Self-assessment summary
 Deciding on actions and implementations
 With whom should you share the results?
 Review your improvement plan

12:30 Lunch

13.30 Guest speaker - Michael Appleby, Partner, Fisher Scoggins Waters LLP
Solicitors
Legal consequences of failure to manage risk
Michael specialises in defending directors, senior individuals and companies facing
investigation or prosecution for health and safety offences or manslaughter arising from
work related incidents.
This session will provide insights and advice as follows:
 The role of hindsight when a criminal investigation starts
 Brief outline of the law – manslaughter, s37 HSWA, s7 HSWA
 Case study of actual criminal trial concerning an electrocution of a
subcontractor at a data centre during a resilience upgrade
 Some practical issues if an individual is involved in an incident – i.e. if you are
asked to give a statement by police/HSE find out if you are a witness or a
suspect
 14:30 Case study 6 using the IET Code of Practice
 Bringing together Policy, Procedure and People aspects.
 Considering the ESM CoP structure and how you can produce your
improvement plan with its prioritised actions.
 How will you take this forward?
Implementing the IET code in your workplace
 Self-assessment
 Reporting results
 Identifying priorities for change
 Implementing change
 Review
15:30 Final Questions and Answers - Bill Bates & Bill Tubey

16:00 Closing remarks and end of course

Presenters:
Bill Bates worked for 20 years in the electricity utility, Manweb, followed by 20 years as a Principal
Electrical Inspector at the Health and Safety Executive. He was also a contributor to the IET Code of
Practice for Electrical Safety Management and has practical experience applying the Code with clients.
Bill Tubey worked for Manweb which was acquired by Scottish Power in 1996. His operational engineering
background in the electricity industry and extensive experience of the leadership and effective
management of large multi-disciplined teams makes him ideally suited to share his knowledge on electrical
safety management.
Michael Appleby is a partner with Fisher Scoggins Waters LLP Solicitors. Michael specialises in defending
directors, senior individuals and companies facing investigation or prosecution for health and safety
offences or manslaughter arising from work related incidents. This includes representing clients at
inquests, in appeals against prohibition and improvement notices and challenging notifications under
Health and Safety Executive’s Fee for Intervention scheme. He has also acted in investigations by the
Environmental Agency and Fire and Rescue Authorities. Mike acts for clients in the rail and bus sectors,
construction, ports, manufacturing, facilities management sector, waste industry and the lift industry.