Page 1 of 8 PORTABLE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT TESTING AND INSPECTION GUIDANCE AND PROCEDURES 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Almost a quarter of all reportable electrical accidents involve portable equipment with the vast majority of these accidents resulting in electric shock. This guidance gives advice on how to maintain portable and transportable electrical equipment safely and avoid such accidents. 1.2 The guidance covers equipment that may be connected to the fixed mains supply, or to a locally generated supply, and may result in an electric shock, burns or fire as a result of damage, wear or misuse. It also gives advice on what the legal requirements for maintenance can mean in practice. 1.3 Additionally, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAW) contains the particular legal requirements relating to the use and maintenance of electrical equipment. These regulations apply to all work activities that involve the use of electrical equipment. They place specific duties on employers and employees and it is intended that these duties control the risks arising from the use of electricity. 1.4 The Regulations are goal setting rather than prescriptive, describing safety objectives that need to be achieved, whilst not prescribing the measures to be taken. This approach allows the duty holder (employer, employee etc.), to select the precautions appropriate to the risk rather than having precautions imposed upon them that may not be relevant to the work activity. 2. WHAT IS PORTABLE OR TRANSPORTABLE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT? 2.1 There is no universally accepted definition of what is meant by portable or transportable electrical equipment. However, for the purposes of this guidance it means equipment that is not part of a fixed installation, but is intended to be connected to a fixed installation, or a generator, by means of a flexible cable and a plug and socket. (The word ‘portable’ is used subsequently to mean both portable and transportable). 2.2 Portable equipment includes items that are either hand-held or hand-operated while connected to the supply, are intended to be moved whilst connected to the supply, or likely to be moved while connected to the supply. 2.3 The electrical supply to the equipment is assumed to be at a voltage that can give a fatal electrical shock to a person, i.e. more than 50V ac or 120V dc. 2.4 Examples of portable electrical equipment include: Kettles. Desktop computers. Photocopiers.