Have you checked yourself lately?

We all know the score check yourself regularly to ensure our health and report any lumps or abnormalities to a professional, but when is the last time you inspected your equipment? We mean your electrical equipment, when did you last carry out a user check?

Most items fail on visual inspections which could possibly be picked up before they become an issue by a simple user check.

This item we recently tested could have killed someone. It was left plugged in and switched on. Luckily the trip in the consumer unit had done it's job and cut the power to the unit.

The tyre changer below had a tyre bar thrown on it and was still in use. The tyre bar could have easily become live and given the user an electrical shock.

Both of these fails could have been picked up by the users doing a visual check before use or at the start of the day.

A user check also helps you to maintain compliance with The Electricity At Work Regulations (EAWR) 1989 amongst other regulations.

What should a user be checking?

• Enclosure: Are there any breaks or cracks in the enclosure? Is there any evidence of burning on the enclosure? Are any safety guards etc missing? Are there any loose parts?

• Flex: Does the flex have any cuts, slices, pulls, melting, burning? Are the inner cores (usually brown, blue and yellow & green) exposed? Is the lead secure (especially if it's detachable) Has the lead got any insulation tape on it? Has the flex been extended or repaired?

• Plug: Does the plug look right? Are the pins out of place? Are there any cracks or breaks in the plug? Is there any burning?

The above checks are simple little checks that can be carried out by anybody. If the answer to any of the above pointers is yes then ensure the appliance is removed from service and is reported and that a competent, qualified person checks it further before the appliance is returned to service.

For further help and support contact a member of our team who will be happy to help.

Wattech can also help with training your staff on what to look for.

Call us on 0800 031 4338