UK Statutory Instrument 2002 United Kingdom

Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002

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At a glance

Enforced by

HSE, Ofgem

What's here

26 compliance obligations, 1 practical guide · 1 journey

Penalty landscape

4 of 26 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 22 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.

  • Distributor 19
  • Any Person 6
  • Contractor 1

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.

Supporting — topic alignment

1 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.

Distributors also bound by 33 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Contractors also bound by 56 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 — INTRODUCTORY

Part II — PROTECTION AND EARTHING

s.006

Electrical protection

Unlimited fine
  • Install electrical protection devices on your network Distributor
s.010

Earthing of metalwork

  • Ensure all metalwork in your electricity network is safely earthed Distributor
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part III — SUBSTATIONS

Part IV — UNDERGROUND CABLES AND EQUIPMENT

s.013

Protective screens

  • Protect underground cables with mechanical covers or grounded screens Any Person

Part V — OVERHEAD LINES

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VA — AVOIDANCE OF INTERFERENCE WITH OR INTERRUPTION OF SUPPLY CAUSED BY TREES

s.avoidance of interference with or interruption of

AVOIDANCE OF INTERFERENCE WITH OR INTERRUPTION OF SUPPLY CAUSED BY TREES

  • Prevent power interruptions caused by trees or vegetation Distributor

Part VI — GENERATION

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VII — SUPPLIES TO INSTALLATIONS AND TO OTHER NETWORKS

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VIII — MISCELLANEOUS

s.035

Offences

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to comply with electricity safety regulations Contractor
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 4 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 …

Ofgem

Office of Gas and Electricity Markets

Regulates gas and electricity markets in Great Britain. Issues licences for generation, transmission, distribution, and supply. Protects consumers and promotes competition. Also …

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Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.