Electrical safety
You must always follow all relevant regulations as well as our health and safety policy when performing work on any equipment or system carrying mains electricity.
If you’re not familiar with the relevant regulations, you must have someone who is sign off on the work. Check with either the health and safety officer or the Technology Team for advice.
Equipment
All equipment which uses mains electricity must be fit for purpose, designed for the environment in which it is used, and regularly inspected and tested in accordance with the manufacturer or installer’s recommendations.
Permanent installations
Permanent installations (ie those which cannot be unplugged) should be checked and signed off by a qualified electrician, and must be inspected on the recommended schedule.
Make sure that permanent installations are correctly specified for the planned load, including making sure that safety measures such as fuses or breakers are not overspecified.
Before working on any permanent installation you must make sure that the circuit has been properly isolated. If necessary, use a lock-out device.
Temporary installations
For the purposes of this handbook anything which can be unplugged qualifies as a temporary installation, even if it’s installed with the intent that it stays there for an extended period of time (for example overhead cabling on stage).
Where something is installed for an extended period of time, consider if it should instead be made a permanent installation.
Temporary installations carrying mains electricity must still be safe. You must always make sure that the equipment and any connectors are suitable for the environment and rated for the load, that fuses are selected appropriately (ie the lowest value which will work with attached equipment), and that equipment (including extension cabling where used) is PAT tested.
A note on extension cords
Best practice is to avoid the use of extension cords. However it’s not uncommon – especially in the church building, on stage or in the overhead rig – to need mains power somewhere that it isn’t usually available. In these cases it’s acceptable to use an extension cord, with the following caveats:
- Always perform a visual inspection of the extension cord before use.
- Always perform load calculations and make sure you’re using a suitably rated extension cord.
- Always use the shortest cord which does the job properly, without needing to stretch between points.
- Do not daisy chain extensions to gain more length. If you need a longer extension cord, go get one.
- Do not let plugs or sockets hang in a way which places load on the cable.
- Do not use any kind of ‘socket multiplier’ or ‘Christmas tree’. If you need more sockets, go get a power strip and perform the necessary load calculations.
- Check reel extensions for their maximum load whilst coiled. If necessary, fully uncoil an extension before use.
- Make sure extensions which run across walkways are properly covered. This means using a safety strip, not tape.
- Make sure connections are made solidly before using any equipment. In high-traffic areas, regularly check that connections are still solid.
Socket covers
The use of plug-in socket covers – sometimes known as ‘child covers’ or ‘baby covers’ – is not allowed under any circumstances since they actually defeat many of the socket’s built-in safety features. If you see one, you should remove and dispose of it.
If a socket needs covering for any reason you should us an appropriate external cover.