Electrical safety in your business premises

Your electrical safety duties

If you employ anyone or control business premises, you have a legal duty to ensure electrical systems are safe. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR) apply to all workplaces and cover everything from your building's fixed wiring to portable equipment plugged into sockets.

In England in 2025 to 2026, fire and rescue services attended about 2,300 fires in buildings other than homes that started from electrical distribution, such as wiring, cabling and plugs, and about 1,200 more from other electrical appliances (Home Office fire statistics, table FIRE0602). Getting your electrical safety right protects your staff and visitors, keeps your business running, and avoids prosecution, where courts can impose unlimited fines.

These steps apply whether you own or lease your building.

What the regulations require

Your electrical systems must be built and maintained to prevent danger, and your equipment must be strong enough and suitable for the conditions it is used in. Conductors must be insulated or protected, there must be a way to cut off the supply and isolate equipment, and only competent people may do work where there is a risk of danger.

EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)

An EICR tests your building's fixed electrical installation - the wiring, sockets, distribution boards, and consumer units that form the permanent electrical system. A competent electrician carries out the inspection and provides a formal report.

Understanding EICR classification codes

The EICR report uses a coding system to classify any defects found:

• C1 means danger is present. You must act urgently to make the installation safe, usually within 24 hours, and the electrician may disconnect the affected circuit on site.
• C2 means a defect is potentially dangerous. It needs urgent remedial work, typically within 28 days.
• C3 means improvement is recommended. The defect is not immediately dangerous but falls short of current standards, and putting it right is not mandatory.
• FI means further investigation is needed to find out how far a potential problem extends.

An installation with C1 or C2 codes is classified as unsatisfactory. You must arrange remedial work and keep evidence of completion. If you lease your premises, check whether the landlord or tenant is responsible for the fixed installation - this is usually set out in your lease. If the landlord is responsible, ask them for a copy of the latest EICR and evidence that any C1 or C2 items have been put right.

Choosing a contractor for your EICR

Your electrician should be registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA. Registration provides assurance of competence and means their work is independently verified. Ask for:

• Proof of registration with a competent person scheme
• Public liability insurance (minimum £2 million cover is typical)
• Evidence of recent EICR work on similar premises

Portable appliance testing (PAT)

PAT covers moveable equipment plugged into your electrical system - computers, kettles, power tools, extension leads, and similar items. There is a widespread misconception that annual PAT testing is a legal requirement. It is not. However, you do have a duty to maintain portable equipment in a safe condition.

The most effective approach combines three levels of checking:

1. Before each use, staff check cables, plugs and casings for obvious damage. Train them to take damaged equipment out of service immediately.
2. At intervals based on risk, a responsible person carries out a more thorough formal visual inspection, which catches defects that users may overlook.
3. At intervals that suit your environment, a combined inspection and electrical test (the PAT test) is carried out with PAT testing equipment.

Higher-risk environments such as construction sites, workshops, and commercial kitchens need more frequent testing than offices. Document your risk-based approach and keep records of all inspections and tests.

Give new equipment a visual check when it arrives and add it to your inspection regime from then on. Equipment that staff bring from home and use at work carries the same risks, so either include it in your checks or do not allow it.

Fixed wiring and installations

Beyond the periodic EICR, you need ongoing maintenance of your fixed electrical installation.

Practical maintenance steps include:

• Keep distribution boards accessible and clearly labelled, do not block them with storage, and make sure every circuit is correctly identified on the schedule.
• Replace cracked or damaged socket faceplates promptly. Do not overload sockets with adaptors; use fused extension leads where you need more outlets.
• Replace flickering tubes or light fittings that show signs of overheating, and test emergency lighting monthly (functional test) and annually (full duration test).
• Give outdoor electrical equipment weatherproof enclosures and RCD protection, and check it regularly for water ingress.

Report any burning smells, tripping circuit breakers, or warm faceplates immediately. These are signs of potentially dangerous faults.

Competent persons

Only competent persons may carry out electrical work. The regulations do not specify particular qualifications, but competence must be demonstrated.

In practice, use electricians registered with a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, or equivalent) for all work beyond basic user tasks. Your own staff may be competent for simple tasks such as changing a fuse or resetting a tripped circuit breaker, provided they have been trained and understand the risks.

Never allow unqualified persons to carry out wiring work, modify electrical installations, or open distribution boards. The consequences of incompetent electrical work can be fatal.

Safe isolation and live working

Before anyone works on wiring or equipment, it must be made dead and kept dead. Isolate it from every source of supply, lock off or otherwise secure the isolation so nobody can switch it back on, and prove it is dead before work starts.

Work on or near a live conductor is allowed only when it is unreasonable for it to be dead, it is reasonable for the work to go ahead live, and suitable precautions are in place to prevent injury. Fault finding and testing are the usual examples. Before anyone works live, you must be able to show why the equipment cannot be made dead and what precautions protect against the specific risks.

Record keeping and enforcement

Keep a clear record of all electrical safety activity: your current EICR and at least one previous report for comparison, a log of all PAT inspections and tests with pass or fail results, evidence that C1 and C2 items have been put right, records of electrical maintenance or modifications, and installation and minor works certificates for any new work.

The HSE enforces the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Inspectors can visit your premises, examine your electrical safety records, and take enforcement action. Penalties for breaches include unlimited fines on indictment. In cases involving serious injury or death, individual directors and managers may face personal prosecution.