Maintenance responsibility

[Jako13!]

Hi can someone tell me the clear the legal requirements of someone carrying out maintenance for example changing over like for like. I have been told many different things for example if we change something like for like on a circuit and we notice something not quite right we can carry on with the job and fill out a minor works certificate stating what is wrong with the circuit as long as we make it no worse condition we found it it. I can understand if it’s immediate dangerous we should lock off and make safe. However if we are replacing something that falls into potentially dangerous such as non compliant ZS values that would require a fair amount of work ie new cables ran underground where do we stand? My concerns being from a maintenance background is some kits critical and can’t be locked off but where do I stand if I’m the last person working on it and have noticed this issue? Can you still keep things running as long as you’ve informed in writing of the potential dangers?

 

[snowhead]

You're straying across all sorts of boundaries.
It will be different for different circumstances.

Your responsibility ends when you've documented the issue and passed it to either your Supervisor or employer or the property owner or Responsible person for the property or whoever you were instructed to report to when first being given the specific work.

Who's paying for the work.
Is it quoted by your employer with limits
Have they or the customer / building owner agreed to allow work to continue beyond the original job.
Do you or your employer need to submit quotes and receive authorisation for additional work.
Do you need permits or other permission to isolate / disable


This is all information you should have been given by your employer / building owner etc before any work started.

 

[Jako13!]

You're straying across all sorts of boundaries.
It will be different for different circumstances.

Your responsibility ends when you've documented the issue and passed it to either your Supervisor or employer or the property owner or Responsible person for the property or whoever you were instructed to report to when first being given the specific work.

Who's paying for the work.
Is it quoted by your employer with limits
Have they or the customer / building owner agreed to allow work to continue beyond the original job.
Do you or your employer need to submit quotes and receive authorisation for additional work.
Do you need permits or other permission to isolate / disable


This is all information you should have been given by your employer / building owner etc before any work started.

Sorry I’m probably overcomplicating it so my employer is the who the works for maintaining is carried out on industrial sites run by ourselves?

 

[timhoward]

From a legal perspective I'd suggest having a read through regulations 3 and 4 from the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 as that is the ultimate statutory legal document. It's relevant to some of your questions.

The best short answer I can give is that any new work should not give rise to something that would attract a C2 (potentially dangerous) or C1 (dangerous) code on a periodic inspection. If a circuit has a C2 or a C1 before you start, I wouldn't start. As above, reporting it is key.

In the example you mention (very high Zs) then that would be a C2 as fault protection is compromised and automatic disconnection of supply may not occur. I would not want be working on anything downstream of that. (If critical then maybe considering temporary options to buy time such as using RCD protection for fault protection and/or creating a TT setup are worth discussing.)

 

[Jako13!]

thank you guys! If we’ve worked on something though as in we’ve tested loop impedance ie switched off isolated did an (R1+R2) realised that was too high then would we be at fault for energising the circuit as we was the last person touching it or is this only a problem if we was to say change a faulty motor then realise S@&t the circuit has a high ZS?