The successful candidates will work for either within the testing division carrying out testing and inspections with some rectification works, or within the installation division carrying out new installations and recification works across multiple sites on a daily basis. Candidates must be qualified Electricians to 17th Edition, C&G 2391 and experience of carrying out testing and inspection is preferred.

These positions offer a competitive package, including a company vehicle, mobile phone and test equipment  and excellent opportunities for career advancement.  Salary is based on experience.

To apply please email your CV indicating your professional qualifications and relevant experience to careers@phscompliance.co.uk quoting TK10022012

The conviction of a Gas fitter for Manslaughter after an improperly fitted flue caused the death of a girl by carbon monoxide poisoning has reminded many landlords of the hazards that exist in the domestic environment. Sadly, this case is just the latest in a disturbing history of safety issues, particularly with rented property, that have come to the attention of the law.

In January a landlord in Pembrokeshire was fined a total of £10,000 for failing to comply with gas safety regulations. The website Landlordlaw.com found over a dozen recent instances of landlords being fined four and five figure sums for failure to comply with regulations.

The trouble is, unlike a car, the regulations surrounding housing safety aren’t to be found in one place, and it is very time-consuming to investigate everything you must comply with. There are specific legal obligations and responsibilities on a landlord with regard to Fire safety for Furniture and Furnishings; Gas supply and appliances; plus Electrical wiring and appliances.

A bewildering number of regulatory authorities exist. Every landlord in the UK has a legal obligation under the GSIUR (Gas Safety and Installation Regulations) 1998 to ensure that all gas pipe work, appliances and flues provided by them for use by their tenants are regularly inspected and maintained. This work must also be accompanied by an Annual safety check that covers each aspect of the gas system owned and supplied by the landlord, appliances owned by the tenant are not necessarily the landlord’s responsibility, but any connected or associated equipment such as pipe work or flues are.

The Electrical Safety Council guide helpfully lists eleven major pieces of legislation that landlords must comply with to remain inside the law. These are (are you ready?) Landlords and Tenant Act 1985; Housing Act 2004; Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Wales) Regulations 2006; Part P of the Building Regulations; Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; British Standard 7671: 2008 (IEE Wiring Regulations); British Standard 5839 Pt 1 and 6 Fire Alarms; British Standard 5266 Emergency Lighting; The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994; Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (ISITEE)

(And breathe…) That is just for electrical safety! It also depends on where you live – the statutory requirements for electrical work is different in England and Wales from those in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As the number of people becoming landlords soars, research from the Electrical Safety Council has found that misunderstandings between landlords and tenants over responsibilities for safety are exposing many people to life-threatening electrical dangers. The ESC is concerned that the rise in inexperienced landlords – many of whom are finding it easier to rent out their property than sell it – will further compromise safety. The consequences for not understanding obligations can be serious. If a landlord is found to be negligent over electrical safety it can lead to fines or even imprisonment.

The court cases that have hit the headlines recently are perhaps the most worrying to a landlord. In several cases the landlord had employed what they believed to be properly qualified and professional contractors to carry out work on their properties, only for it to emerge that either the contractor was unlicensed, or that the work had been done poorly and failed to meet the necessary standards.

So as a landlord, you need to find an expert. Find a company that is registered with a meaningful trade body, such as NICEIC, which operates an insurance-backed warranty service for work undertaken by their members. A company that invests in training has an impeccable credentials and a long history of efficient customer service. A company that offers safety, competence, compliance and value. One rather like PHS Compliance, in fact.

There are four new specific Sections to the Standard (444, 534, 710 & 729).  These deal with measures against electromagnetic disturbances, protection against overvoltage, medical locations and operating in gangways.  Perhaps more important and universally relevant, the previous ‘Periodic Inspection Report’ has been replaced by a new ‘Electrical Installation Condition Report’.

The Condition Report is the output from any periodic installation test and details in clear language exactly what has been found and what faults, if any, need to be corrected.  There are now only three, straightforward fault codes:  C1 identifies a danger present; C2 a potentially dangerous condition and C3 a recommendation to improve the safety of the installation.

Paul Caddick, managing director of PHS Compliance, commented, “The new Condition Report is a very welcome introduction for improved safety.  Previously it was extremely difficult for anyone but a qualified electrician to interpret the findings of test results and consequently a dangerous proportion were never acted upon.  The style and format of this new report delivers the important information in an immediate and useful way.  The “Duty Holder” may not be a technician but is ultimately responsible for safety.  Now he or she can quickly grasp what the test report is telling or advising and take appropriate action swiftly to rectify faults.”

The (initially daunting) implications for those who design, install, test and maintain electrical systems actually add up to a sensible step forward in ensuring electrical safety.  Since last July, here at PHS we have retrained all our engineers and updated test equipment software to comply with the improved Standard, and are happy that it helps us in delivering a better and safer service to our customers.

For more information on the condition report please visit www.niceic.com

According to PHS Compliance, there is often confusion surrounding the demands placed on organisations by British Standards, legislative orders and other regulations. Sales director  Shaun Caddick explained, “We know that with a dynamic regulatory landscape, complying with all the relevant safety legislation can be challenging and daunting, not only in keeping a current working knowledge of all the elements, but also in interpreting what is required by the law and its instruments.  Inevitably some organisations fall short and leave themselves open to risk and serious danger.  To support SMEs to avoid exposure to such safety risk, Mr Compliance will translate all the complexity into straightforward advice, focusing on achieving and maintaining compliance, in a simple and cost effective manner.”

As an example of the rapid change in the regulations, earlier this month there was an amendment published for BS7671:2008 (2011), concerning updates to wiring regulations and electrical safety standards.  Mr Compliance was one of the first to assimilate the changes, according to PHS Compliance, with straightforward advice from him on this and many other safety subjects now available online. 

‘Keeping compliance simple’ is Mr Compliance’s claim and his approach is to take the complexity and burden from SMEs trying to juggle the demands of safety with business demands and achieve regulatory compliance with sometimes limited technical expertise.  The result is no less robust than that achieved by a major organisation, but with Mr Compliance’s guidance, PHS claims that any business can ensure safety and continuity of essential services without complication and unnecessary expense.  Questions can be posed to him direct, with his guidance provided without charge by PHS.  For a simple summary of relevant legislation he delivers a single page that captures the headlines at  www.phscompliance.co.uk/ask-mr-c

Summarising the purpose for Mr Compliance, Shaun Caddick said, “Our aim is always to lead a clear path through the legislation and regulations, towards helping organisations ultimately achieve complete compliance.  We have a highly specialised team to provide expert support to facilities professionals to fulfil their duty of care in the most appropriate manner and we are on hand to offer tailored support to meet the specific needs of SMEs – from compliance in electricity, to gas, emergency lighting, water and fire.”

Utilising a bespoke Needs Analysis software programme and handheld wireless technology, the PHS team can conduct a site evaluation in just 20 minutes, instantly capturing the essential information required to create a report and full quotation for the site in question.  The output data is then instantaneously emailed to the site safety contact and stored on PHS’s own database, before the assessor leaves site.

The Needs Analysis evaluation is split into sub sections to cover: Fixed wire electrical safety, electrical portable appliances, gas equipment and pipework, fire alarm testing, fire extinguisher maintenance, emergency lighting and power safety.  This comprehensive assessment covers the key areas of safety compliance and is designed to map onto the requirements of all relevant British Standards, Acts and Approves Codes of Practice (ACOPs), therefore providing the recipient organisation with the most rapid route to legislative safety compliance.

Leading the trials of the new handheld evaluation tool, regional sales manager of PHS Compliance, Lynsey Jones explained, “Each person in the team carries a PDA equipped with the Needs Analysis programme.  Once on site they can quickly and easily run through a comprehensive set of questions, capturing the results as they go.  The programme is designed to prompt questions on all the elements required to understand the specifics of a site and the current approach to safety compliance.  Using this data the software can instantly compute the necessary recommendations and report these with a detailed quotation for work required.  So far the feedback has been extremely positive for this fast and effective new method – it’s a market leading approach that harnesses technology to improve safety.”

According to PHS Compliance, the system is now being rolled out more widely, with long term aims to further streamline the safety process for customers of the service and enable manageable budgeting for testing, maintenance and remedial repair. 

“We constantly strive to improve safety and promote compliance,” said sales director of PHS Compliance Shaun Caddick.  “This new system is another innovation that we have made to make it easier, quicker and more cost effective for organisations to fulfil the duty of care demanded by British Standards.  Our role is as a facilitator and we have invested in delivering a service that provides the fastest route to compliance.”

Orientation was essential for the PHS Compliance team and the group – comprising 33 men and two women – visited Dubai on route to Afghanistan for a week of intensive training and a battery of medical examinations.  This orientation week also allowed the engineers to begin to acclimatise to the heat in the Middle East, with the temperatures in Afghanistan set to climb to 56 degrees Celsius by mid summer.

First stop for the team was Kandahar Airbase; the gateway to the war in Afghanistan.  This site is home to 15,000 troops from all over the world and houses a billion pounds worth of military hardware.  The base is a busy community in the middle of the desert, with all the facilities required to support the forces working there, including essential services such as electricity.

Triumphant at the award of such an extreme and challenging contract, managing director of PHS Compliance, Paul Caddick commented, “We are both honoured and excited to have been chosen for our expertise and for the confidence that has been placed in our highly skilled team.  In terms of safety for them, we have been assured that no stone has been left unturned to ensure their wellbeing in this volatile country.  Preparation for delivery on this contract has been detailed and careful:  We selected 35 top engineers from our 500 strong workforce from a shortlist that volunteered for this project.   They were all aware of the seriousness of the situation and the hostile nature of the environment, yet keen to take this responsibility to support the safety of the Armed Forces and the integrity of electrical installations that they rely upon.  We are extremely proud of them all.”

John Gregory leads the team in Afghanistan for PHS Compliance, guiding them technically and overseeing their welfare during the six month tour.  In his care, one 24-year-old engineer on the team, Richard Fearnside explained, “During our first day on site the rocket attack alarm sounded and we all hit the deck.  This is standard training procedure but you don’t realise the severity of it until it actually happens.  That was our first experience of what life will be like for the next few months.”

According to other PHS engineers the practical challenges on site are considerable, with the dust and heat making working conditions energy sapping.  The work that the team will be doing involves electrical test and inspection – concentrating on the safe operational state of circuits installed throughout the various FOBs.  Once these tests are done the team will then conduct any remedial repair work that is required to ensure that the sites are electrically ‘Satisfactory’ and compliant to BS7671: 2008.

The most significant changes to the Standard see the introduction of four new specific Sections (444, 534, 710, 729).  These deal with measures against electromagnetic disturbances, protection against overvoltage, medical locations and operating in gangways.  Also of great importance – and of much wider relevance – is the addition of a new ‘Electrical Installation Condition Report’ to replace the previous ‘Periodic Inspection Report’.

The new Condition Report (detailed in Chapter 63, with model forms in Appendix 6) will become the output from any periodic installation test and it will detail in clear language exactly what has been found and what faults, if any, need to be corrected.  The coding of faults has also been changed by the new amendment, from four to three:  C1 identifies a danger present, C2 for when there is a potentially dangerous condition and C3 when there is a recommendation to improve the safety of the installation.

Applauding the new amendment, managing director of PHS Compliance, Paul Caddick commented, “The new Condition Report is a very welcome introduction for improved safety.  Previously it was extremely difficult for anyone but a qualified electrician to interpret the findings of test results and consequently a dangerous proportion were never acted upon.  The style and format of this new report delivers the important information in an immediate and useful way.  The Duty Holder can quickly grasp what the test report is telling or advising and then take appropriate action swiftly to rectify faults.”

Whilst PHS Compliance is enthusiastic about the new amendment, many in the industry may be daunted by the implications for those who design, install, test and maintain electrical systems.  According to PHS, it requires retraining for every engineer and software updates to all the testing equipment used in the market.  The clock is now ticking, with five months remaining for this essential preparatory work to be done, ready for enforcement of the new Standard from 1 January 2012.

There’s a lethal hole in the safety process that we call the ‘remedial gap’.   It occurs between the compliance stages of safety testing and getting the essential remedial repairs completed that are found by that testing and subsequently reported as necessary.   In simple terms, all too many organisations fail to act on the findings of the testing they commission, meaning that reported dangers remain unresolved.

If the essential remedial work is not complete following testing, then the organisation could be culpable of fault and negligence. It’s likely that insurance for the site would be compromised and if the worst should happen then it could be clearly proven that the duty holder was liable.

In clear and present danger

Accidents and incidents are not rare.  From years of working on behalf of the HSE on accident investigation I have witnessed countless horror stories and in the course of our business we regularly see lethal situations where sites have been tested but faults not corrected. 

Examples of deadly faults include fittings such as light covers left missing so that live parts are left exposed.  In this instance, something as simple as replacing a bulb therefore turns into a major hazard.  At many sites we find fuse carriers missing, meaning that live parts are left exposed.  Anyone touching these would suffer electrocution.  Incorrect fuses also present a serious danger and our engineers report seeing blown fuses replaced with copper wire; effectively removing circuit protection from the system and meaning that any fault occurring could cause electrocution or fire.

Falling into the gap

If a duty holder fails to conduct safety testing and an accident occurs then it would be argued that they were ignorant.  Sadly no defence in law and in the worst case, the Corporate Manslaughter Act springs to mind.   In the situation where testing has been conducted but failure to act upon the reported findings results in an accident, then it would be straightforward to prove culpable negligence.  So how does this situation occur so regularly?

It is understandably tempting for a busy health and safety officer or facilities manager to receive periodic reports and file them, believing their electrical safety duty is fulfilled.  Or perhaps the periodic reports never reach the right person, being intercepted by a third party such as an outsourced contractor like a facilities management company. 

Many people mistake their test report for a pass certificate.  It’s not – in electrical safety there is no such thing as a certificate.   The periodic report is a thorough technical document that sets out details of the inspection and testing conducted and any ‘damage, deterioration, defects and dangerous conditions within the installation’.  Its content is intended to be acted upon.

Cost Controlled Compliance

Achieving complete safety compliance can be arduous and more and more organisations are seeking to outsource the activities required.  With a careful investigation of the market it’s certainly possible to find an expert supplier that will help you, advise you and manage the practical steps necessary to reach a compliant state. But you can’t delegate your duty of care, so it’s in your interest to understand, as far as possible, what the implications of a testing regime are, so that you can truly content yourself that the precautions being taken are adequate and appropriate (and in line with your risk assessments).  On the flip side, you also want to ensure commercial viability by achieving compliance without overspend or being encouraged to do more than is necessary.

As a starting point for smart buying, the obvious thing to do is to get competitive quotes or tenders.  Normal good practice you might consider, but take care to ensure you evaluate comparable quotes, rather than comparing apples with oranges.  You must check that your prospective suppliers are quoting for the same thing or you could end up taking a cheap deal that turns out to be unsatisfactory in the long run.  For example, suppliers that are hungry for business will use cut price testing to entice you and then back-load the price of resultant remedial repairs which are usually the greater part of the expense.

When you go out for tender or quotes make sure your exact requirements are clear, keep the testing straightforward and to Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs).  It’s common for quotes to be compiled on guesswork and approximations so when the work is conducted the billing can exceed the estimate.  The sure way to avoid this unpleasant surprise is to be diligent in your specification.

Finally, whilst we’ve focused heavily on electrical safety, remember that this is only part of your duty of care.  You are likely to also need to consider gas, fire, emergency lighting and other services, depending upon your site.  There may be advantages in terms of efficiency and price if you single-source all your compliance requirements, with the added advantage that you have one supplier to contract and manage.  If they can reduce the number of engineer visits required to fulfil your various compliance requirements their costs should be lower and so too should be your invoice for this work.

Final word

In summary, it’s imperative to appreciate that inspection and testing is only part of safety compliance. Essential remedial work must be completed in an appropriate timeframe and in the case of many faults this means urgently following testing, so that the remedial gap is securely closed.