Time is money for the electrical contractor, so can innovation in electrical safety testing help to boost productivity? Rod Taylor looks at the possibilities.
Since the introduction of the Electricity At Work Regulations (EAWR) in 1989 gave the impetus for portable appliance testing, the last decade has seen the creation of a substantial safety testing and service industry.

The EAWR insists that all electrical systems are maintained to prevent danger. A suitable defence is proof that all reasonable steps and due diligence were exercised in avoiding unsafe situations, hence many contractors and field service organisations have established specialist equipment and appliance testing operations – skilled engineers offering testing services on a subcontract basis.

For the contractor offering in-service safety testing the pressure to complete tests quickly is immense – after all, time is money. The firms that have succeeded are those who have been able to combine a fast, effective service with the proper quality of testing. For such companies the ongoing business issue is one of balancing the provision of an efficient, quality service with a price tag that the market demands.

Against this background, the onus for instrument manufacturers is their ability to stimulate the replacement and upgrading of instruments, while considering the market needs for fast, simple-to-use products capable of adding value to the test process. In this way, the challenge is for new, technical enhancement and innovative product features that will enable contractors to enhance or improve their testing services to customers.

Smarter testing
This market situation has led to increasing moves towards the use of intelligent products. Microprocessor-controlled testing technology has made instruments more user-friendly, enabling service engineers to undertake faster testing, generating significant improvements in business efficiency and profitability.

As a result, there are test units available with quick start-up; the ability to test 110 and 240 V equipment from the same power source, equipped with integral codes for automatic test sequences; and the introduction of dedicated testers that are specific for particular types of equipment – specialist medical industry testers, for example.

The latest generation of products incorporate further improvements to make electrical safety testing even faster, by overcoming traditional problems associated with the testing of office and IT equipment.

The connection of a pc to a vdu, printer, server and other IT peripherals leads to the setting up of multiple earth paths, which may disguise dangerous situations. For example, if interconnected equipment is tested, there is the potential for an earth bond fault in any item to be hidden by the presence of a better secondary earth elsewhere in the system.

As a result, good practice originally demanded that safety testing should be undertaken on all items of electrical equipment separately. However, the disconnection of power cables and connectors can be a daunting and time-consuming task, often causing considerable disruption and downtime for the equipment users.

Modern testers overcome these problems by incorporating special technology that enables testing to be undertaken while the IT equipment remains powered and linked to peripherals.

Accurate earth bond and touch leakage measurements can be made, even when multiple earth paths exist. The advanced testers are also capable of carrying out multiple 250/500 V insulation testing to eliminate the test problems associated with the presence of mains filters.

Other benefits include the automatic generation of incremental appliance identification numbers and specially developed operating software. This software can compare successive test results taken on the same item of electrical equipment to give an immediate indication of product degradation and potential faults.

System integration
As with other industries, it is possible to do things smarter. Many safety testing organisations already use software, bar code scanners, labels and other tools which, together with an effective tester, mean faster, yet accurate testing. Another method is brain cell technology using rf data tags to store test information and ensure that the records stay with an appliance throughout its lifetime.

Linking these test identification technologies with computerised records and databases allows the complete integration of safety testing and asset management systems.

Improving the traceability of test records and preventative maintenance programmes is particularly important as Regulation 29 of the EAWR allows proof that all reasonable steps and due diligence were exercised in avoiding unsafe conditions as a suitable defence against any litigation. Alongside upgrading instrumentation, therefore, considerable effort has gone into improving the recording of test data.

For example, software packages have been developed that enable the user to set up a detailed database of tests undertaken on appliances. Modern programs have become simpler and faster to use by combining Windows features, such as icons, to represent sites, locations and appliances, using drag-and-drop mouse actions to replicate location changes.

The growing impact of web sites and e-mail on communications has prompted the greater use of computerised testers. Specialist modems enable data to be transferred directly from the test location to a pc-stored database, allowing the automatic updating of records, generation of reports and advance testing schedules.

For the enterprising contractor, in-service safety testing makes good business sense. For their part, instrument manufacturers are introducing smarter test equipment capable of making testing faster, and helping those involved to give an essential added value service to their customers.

Romec’s appliance of test science

With a turnover of over £180 million, Romec is one of the UK’s leading facilities management (FM) firms. It offers single or multi-service fm solutions ranging from network services to mail room management and cleaning. Since its formation in 1989, Romec has provided fm services to a range of blue-chip customers including the Royal Mail, IBM and Standard Life. In- service electrical safety testing forms an important part of its building maintenance service. A risk assessment process, usually undertaken by the client, determines the frequency of electrical safety testing. In addition, the suggested frequency in the IEE Code of Practice for In-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment is used as a minimum standard. As a result, on-site service and inspection of portable electrical appliances is carried out regularly. Periods between tests range from monthly on construction sites to once in four years, depending on the equipment, its operating environment and usage. Romec provides a comprehensive electrical maintenance service that combines full safety testing with the development of test records. These can be used by the employer to fulfil their statutory obligations under the HSE Directive and the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989. The firm’s engineers use an integrated portable appliance testing system developed by Seaward. This comprises advance technology instrumentation, specialist appliance tester modems and software-based records systems. It enables the fast and accurate testing of appliances and direct printing of test records on-site. The modem allows the downloading of results from remote locations to a central off-site database. The client specifies the exact nature of the information recorded, which, as well as standard pass/fail details, can include other technical information and scheduling of the next tests. The client retains a full copy of the test results and a central archive of records is maintained in line with Romec’s ISO 9000 quality assurance systems.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor

Postscript

Rod Taylor is the managing director of Seaward Electronic.