UK Statutory Instrument SI 1989 United Kingdom

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

These Regulations impose health and safety requirements with respect to electricity at work.

Enforced by
HSE, ONR
Status
In Force
Penalty ceiling
Imprisonment 36 of 42 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 6 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Employer37 Any Person4 Self-Employed Person1

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Employer — also bound by 682 other Acts
Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts
Self-Employed Person — also bound by 80 other Acts

What it requires

Regulations creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1

INTRODUCTION

1 of 3 sections shown
s.003 Persons on whom duties are imposed by these Regulations (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Comply with electrical safety regulations at workSelf-Employed Person
  • Comply with electricity safety duties (employer/self‑employed)Employer
  • Ensure compliance with Electricity at Work RegulationsEmployer
2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Part 2

GENERAL

12 of 13 sections shown
s.004 Systems, work activities and protective equipment (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure electrical systems and work are safe and use proper protective equipmentEmployer
  • Keep electrical systems and equipment safe and well‑maintainedEmployer
  • Keep electrical systems, work and protective gear safeEmployer
  • Maintain safe electrical systems, work practices and protective gearEmployer
s.005 Strength and capability of electrical equipment (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Don’t use electrical equipment beyond its rated strength or capabilityEmployer
  • Ensure electrical equipment is not overloadedEmployer
  • Ensure electrical equipment is not overloaded or beyond its capacityEmployer
  • Ensure electrical equipment matches its intended use and loadAny Person
  • Use electrical equipment only within its rated capacityEmployer
s.006 Adverse or hazardous environments (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure electrical equipment is safe for adverse environmentsEmployer
  • Ensure electrical equipment is suitably protected for hazardous environmentsEmployer
  • Protect electrical equipment for hazardous environmentsEmployer
s.007 Insulation, protection and placing of conductors (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure all electrical conductors are safely insulated or placedEmployer
  • Insulate or protect all hazardous electrical conductorsEmployer
  • Insulate or protect electrical conductors to prevent dangerEmployer
  • Ensure conductors are insulated, protected, and correctly placedEmployer
s.008 Earthing or other suitable precautions (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Protect against electrical danger by earthing or other safety meansEmployer
  • Provide earthing or other suitable precautions for electrical conductorsEmployer
  • Ensure conductors are earthed or otherwise protectedEmployer
s.009 Integrity of referenced conductors (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Maintain the electrical integrity of grounded or referenced conductorsEmployer
  • Keep earthing conductors free from anything that could break continuityEmployer
  • Prevent breaks or high‑impedance in earthed conductorsEmployer
  • Protect referenced conductors from dangerous objectsEmployer
s.010 Connections (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure all electrical joints and connections are safe to useEmployer
s.011 Means for protecting from excess of current (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Protect electrical systems from current overloadsAny Person
  • Provide appropriate over‑current protection for electrical systemsEmployer
  • Provide over‑current protection for all electrical circuitsEmployer
  • Provide protective devices against excess currentEmployer
s.013 Precautions for work on equipment made dead (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Keep isolated electrical equipment de‑energised during workEmployer
  • Prevent electrical equipment from becoming live during workEmployer
  • Prevent equipment from becoming live while work is being carried outAny Person
  • Prevent re‑energising of isolated electrical equipment during workEmployer
s.014 Work on or near live conductors (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure safe work on or near live electrical conductorsEmployer
  • Avoid live electrical work unless strictly necessaryAny Person
s.015 Working space, access and lighting (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide adequate space, access and lighting for electrical workEmployer
  • Provide adequate space, access and lighting for work on electrical equipmentEmployer
s.016 Persons to be competent to prevent danger and injury (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure competent persons or appropriate supervision for electrical workEmployer
  • Ensure only competent persons carry out electrical workEmployer
  • Ensure workers have competence or proper supervision for electrical workEmployer
1 other section in this Part — procedural and definitional
Part 3

REGULATIONS APPLYING TO MINES ONLY

0 of 12 sections shown
Part 4

MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL

0 of 5 sections shown
Schedules

Schedules

0 of 11 shown
11 other schedules
s.sch001 In this Schedule, “film lighting circuit” means any electric circuit...
s.sch001 A film lighting circuit shall not be used unless–
s.sch001 The manager shall make, and ensure the carrying out of,...
s.sch001 The manager shall make suitable rules with respect to the...
s.sch001 No person shall fire any shot or round of shots...
s.sch002 The Mines and Quarries Act 1954 shall be modified as...
s.sch002 Regulation 4 of the Coal and Other Mines (Fire and...
s.sch002 The Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing Regulations 1960 shall be modified as...
s.sch002 Section 1(4) of the Mines Management Act 1971 (which relates...

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6 more guides that reference this instrument

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.