UK Statutory Instrument 1989 United Kingdom

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

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At a glance

Enforced by

HSE, ONR

What's here

56 compliance obligations, 10 practical guides across 3 topics · 9 journeys

Penalty landscape

45 of 56 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 11 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Employer 48
  • Any Person 6
  • Self-Employed Person 2

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

4 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Mentioned in related content

5 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Employers also bound by 171 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Self-Employed People also bound by 17 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — INTRODUCTION

s.003

Persons on whom duties are imposed by these Regulations

2 years imprisonment
  • Comply with electrical safety regulations at work Self-Employed Person
  • Comply with electricity safety duties (employer/self‑employed) Employer
  • Ensure compliance with Electricity at Work Regulations Employer
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — GENERAL

s.004

Systems, work activities and protective equipment

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure electrical systems and work are safe and use proper protective equipment Employer
  • Keep electrical systems and equipment safe and well‑maintained Employer
  • Keep electrical systems, work and protective gear safe Employer
  • Maintain safe electrical systems, work activities, and protective equipment Any Person
  • Maintain safe electrical systems, work practices and protective gear Employer
s.005

Strength and capability of electrical equipment

2 years imprisonment
  • Don’t use electrical equipment beyond its rated strength or capability Employer
  • Ensure electrical equipment is not overloaded Employer
  • Ensure electrical equipment is not overloaded or beyond its capacity Employer
  • Ensure electrical equipment matches its intended use and load Any Person
  • Use electrical equipment only within its rated capacity Employer
s.006

Adverse or hazardous environments

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure electrical equipment is safe for adverse environments Employer
  • Ensure electrical equipment is suitably protected for hazardous environments Employer
  • Protect electrical equipment for hazardous environments Employer
  • Protect electrical equipment in hazardous environments Employer
  • Protect electrical equipment in hazardous or adverse environments Employer
s.007

Insulation, protection and placing of conductors

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure all electrical conductors are safely insulated or placed Employer
  • Insulate or protect all hazardous electrical conductors Employer
  • Insulate or protect electrical conductors to prevent danger Employer
  • Ensure conductors are insulated, protected, and correctly placed Employer
  • Ensure conductors are insulated, protected or safely placed Employer
s.008

Earthing or other suitable precautions

2 years imprisonment
  • Protect against electrical danger by earthing or other safety means Employer
  • Provide earthing or other suitable precautions for electrical conductors Employer
  • Ensure conductors are earthed or otherwise protected Employer
  • Ensure conductors are earthed or suitably protected Employer
  • Provide earthing or other suitable precautions for live conductors Employer
s.009

Integrity of referenced conductors

2 years imprisonment
  • Maintain the electrical integrity of grounded or referenced conductors Employer
  • Keep earthing conductors free from anything that could break continuity Employer
  • Prevent breaks or high‑impedance in earthed conductors Employer
  • Protect referenced conductors from dangerous objects Employer
s.010

Connections

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure all electrical joints and connections are safe Employer
  • Ensure all electrical joints and connections are safe to use Employer
  • Ensure electrical joints and connections are safe and suitable Self-Employed Person
  • Ensure safe electrical joints and connections Employer
s.011

Means for protecting from excess of current

2 years imprisonment
  • Protect electrical systems from current overloads Any Person
  • Provide appropriate over‑current protection for electrical systems Employer
  • Provide over‑current protection for all electrical circuits Employer
  • Provide protective devices against excess current Employer
s.013

Precautions for work on equipment made dead

2 years imprisonment
  • Keep isolated electrical equipment de‑energised during work Employer
  • Prevent electrical equipment from becoming live during work Employer
  • Prevent equipment from becoming live while work is being carried out Any Person
  • Prevent re‑energising of dead electrical equipment during work Employer
  • Prevent re‑energising of isolated electrical equipment during work Employer
s.014

Work on or near live conductors

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure safe work on or near live conductors Employer
  • Ensure safe work on or near live electrical conductors Employer
  • Avoid live electrical work unless strictly necessary Any Person
s.015

Working space, access and lighting

2 years imprisonment
  • Provide adequate space, access and lighting for electrical work Employer
  • Provide adequate space, access and lighting for work on electrical equipment Employer
  • Provide safe working space, access, and lighting for electrical work Employer
s.016

Persons to be competent to prevent danger and injury

2 years imprisonment
  • Ensure competent persons or appropriate supervision for electrical work Employer
  • Ensure only competent people carry out electrical work Employer
  • Ensure only competent people perform electrical work Any Person
  • Ensure only competent persons carry out electrical work Employer
  • Ensure workers have competence or proper supervision for electrical work Employer
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part III — REGULATIONS APPLYING TO MINES ONLY

Browse 12 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part IV — MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL

Browse 5 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 2 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

HSE

Primary

Health and Safety Executive

Workplace health, safety, and welfare regulation across all industries. Enforces the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and related regulations. Investigates …

ONR

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Independent regulator for nuclear safety and security. Issues nuclear site licences. Regulates nuclear installations, transport, and safeguards.

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