ACCESSORIES
RESOURCES
ELECTRICAL SAFETY FOR ENTERTAINERS:
Inspection and Testing
However careful you are with your equipment, any apparatus which is moved from place to place can easily be damaged. It is therefore vital that all electrical apparatus, including extension boxes and cables, is visually inspected frequently. As a general guide you should inspect equipment, preferably before using it at a new location or alternatively when it is taken out of service for storage. If there is damage to any electrical part or if the equipment causes an RCD to trip, it should be taken out of service at once and replaced, or repaired by a competent person such as an electrician.
Typical routine checks for portable apparatus are shown in the checklist, which can be found in the menu on the right.
In addition, regular electrical tests may be appropriate. These will detect the faults that cannot be seen at inspection, such as lack of continuous earth. It is recommended that these tests are undertaken by a competent electrician, initially every five times the equipment is used. If you find that this frequency never identifies any damaged or faulty equipment, you could test it less often. Advice on in-service inspection and testing can be found in HSE booklet HS(G)107 Maintaining portable and transportable electrical equipment [ref.1] and an IEE code of practice [ref.2].
It is a good idea to keep a simple record either on a card or a label stuck to the equipment to show when it was last inspected (date) and tested (date and test readings).
Repairs should only be made by someone who is competent to do so.
