The Facilities Manager s Guide to: Electrical Testing, Fire Alarms and Emergency Lighting Regulations. Updated May 2016

Transcription

1 The Facilities Manager s Guide to: Electrical Testing, Fire Alarms and Emergency Lighting Regulations Updated May 2016

2 CONTENTS Introduction 1 Chapter 1: PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) 2 Chapter 2: Fixed Wire Testing 5 Chapter 3: Fire Alarm Tests and Inspection 8 Chapter 4: Emergency Safety Lighting Tests and Inspection 11 Conclusion 14 About the Authors 15

3 INTRODUCTION Legal obligations surrounding electrical safety can be a difficult area, with new legislation interacting with well-known, older laws and common-sense myths making it a wholly confusing compliance problem. Failure to comply with the rules can be costly in many ways - it can lead to custodial sentences for those deemed responsible person(s), large fines and, even worse, preventable death. What s more, insurance companies simply won t pay compensation or for fines resulting from a criminal offence, as determined by being in breach of your statutory responsibilities. In many cases, the law does not specifically say when electrical testing and inspection should be conducted, who it should be conducted by nor does it specify the frequency. The law generally states that workplaces must ensure that electrical systems, including Fire Alarm and Emergency Lighting systems, must be kept safe at all times. The only effective means to that end is to ensure that regular testing is done and your documentation will provide proof and defence that you have done your utmost to avoid all preventable incidents. Workplaces have a duty to ensure the safety of the occupants and generally that duty falls to you - the Facilities Manager. This guide has been developed to ensure that the duty of maintaining, inspecting and testing electrical systems, including Fire Alarms and Emergency Safety Lighting is demystified, clear and easy to understand. It concisely outlines the necessary procedures of Portable Appliance Testing (PAT), Fixed Wire Testing, Emergency Safety Lighting and Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection to make your life as a Facilities Manager that little bit easier. Please note This document is designed as a guide to the legislation surrounding electrical testing and is not a substitute for training or legal advice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented is correct at the time of publishing, but this cannot be guaranteed. 1

4 CHAPTER 1: PAT (PORTABLE APPLIANCE TESTING) If you ve ever been in a place of work you will have likely seen an appliance with a Portable Appliance Test certificate sticker, even if you didn t notice it. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is something that many people have heard of, but find a little confusing. Myths and half-truths are common when it comes to electrical testing, so this chapter has been written to ensure that Facilities Managers understand what the law requires, how PAT works and to outline the practical considerations of Portable Appliance Testing. What is Portable Appliance Testing? PAT (or Portable Appliance Testing) is as simple as it sounds - it is testing to ensure that portable appliances are fit and safe for use and adhere to the guidelines set down by the five different laws that cover Health and Safety in the workplace. These regulations will be covered in the law section. The purpose of portable appliance testing is to ensure that appliances are in good working order, maintained correctly and pose little to no risk to the people using them. Portable appliance testing is separate to adhering to any manufacturer s guidance on regular interval testing, but it is good practice to ensure that manufacturer guidelines are followed. PAT regulations do not cover private households, just workplaces. Local authorities and the Health and Safety Executive are responsible for enforcing and policing the legislation. What is the definition of portable? For the purposes of PAT, portable is defined as an appliance that can be disconnected from a power supply (generally using a plug) and moved. This includes, but is not limited to: easily movable objects such as kettles, lamps, televisions, projectors, toasters, food mixers, etc. It also includes heavier items like printers, washing machines and vending machines. Hairdryers wired into the wall are included but larger items that are not designed to be moved (like water boilers) are not covered by this legislation, but will be covered by rules governing fixed installation maintenance. How does PAT testing work? Portable Appliance Testing is a process that includes the vital step of visual inspection for obvious damage and wear and tear. The responsible person carrying out PAT will check for problems like frayed cables and cracked plugs before switching an appliance on to check for operational issues. A large majority of electrical faults can be discovered during the visual inspection. 2

5 After an appliance has passed a visual inspection, the electrical safety aspect of PAT can be conducted. The exact tests required depend on the type of appliance being tested as well as its electrical class. There are three different classes of appliance; Class 1 has single insulated wiring, requiring an earth connection, whereas Class 2 appliances have double insulated wiring. Class 3 appliances are supplied by a lower voltage than Class 2 and Class 1 appliances. More information on appliance classes is available at hse. gov.uk Common faults include incorrect fuses, overheating or broken plug tops and generally faulty cables. What tests could a portable appliance need? REMEMBER: The safety of the person conducting the portable appliance test is paramount, so the type of tests performed for potentially dangerous appliances must be determined by a risk assessment. As already covered, the tests performed on a portable appliance will vary according to its type and class. There are five different types of tests which could be used on an appliance: Earth Continuity Test The most common test, performed using a specific PAT tester machine (or ohmmeter) Earth Resistance Test Determining the resistance provided by earthing rods, which should be less than 1Ω Insulation Resistance Test Ensuring insulation of the electrical appliance prevents the leakage of electrical current Polarity Check Ensuring plugs and cord extension sockets are wired correctly Safety Switch Tests This requires specialist testing equipment and ensures that the tripping mechanism for an appliance works as it should. What does the law say about PAT? Five laws govern portable appliances in the workplace: The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Requiring employers and employees to ensure the health and safety of all in the work premises (including visitors, contractors and the general public, where applicable). The Management of Health and Safety Work Regulations 1999 Putting the onus on the employer to perform adequate risk assessments to ensure the lowest level of danger for employees and ensure the safety of the workplace as far as is possible. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 Requiring the employer to ensure the safety of any equipment used by employers (including fixed, portable and transportable equipment) that relies on an electrical energy source. This excludes fixed installations. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Defining what constitutes electrical equipment and the maintenance and safety requirements of safe use of electricity in the workplace. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Governing the maintenance of equipment, devices and systems within the workplace. PAT is also covered by the non statutory document, the IET Code of Practice for in-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment. 3

6 Interpreting the laws covering PAT Many people believe that PAT must be conducted on an annual basis for all their portable appliances. However, this is not the case. Legally, anyone conducting PAT must be trained in portable appliance testing - this is covered in the law as a competent person who can perform the checks safely. Performing combined inspection and testing will require a higher level of knowledge, the ability to use specialist equipment and the experience and expertise to interpret test results. Businesses must adhere to the Electricity of Work Regulations 1989 (as well as the other four laws covered in the above section), but PAT inspection is not an obligation. The law requires businesses to maintain appliances to ensure safety and keep records of routine maintenance. Annual PAT inspection can often be an unreasonable burden on the business, and the HSE makes it clear that, in many case, this is unnecessary (see faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm, last accessed and available, August 2015). Did you know? PAT is formally known as In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment by the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and the IET, originally established as the Society of Telegraph Engineers in saw the integration of the IEE with the Institution of Incorporated Engineers (IIE) to form the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the largest multidisciplinary professional engineering institution in the world. Practical considerations for Facilities Managers regarding PAT It is wise to draw up a list of the appliances covered by the legislation. Estimate how often appliances are used and refer to the manufacturer s guidelines for regular maintenance and servicing. This will aid you in determining how often appliances should be serviced and when PAT should be conducted. The law does not require you to label equipment that has been tested, nor to keep records, but record keeping is good practice and will help you manage your equipment servicing needs. If an appliance does cause harm to someone in the workplace, it will be invaluable evidence that all necessary checks were performed. You should also make it clear to employees who use appliances that they are also bound by Health and Safety at Work laws and so have a responsibility to report any damage and wear and tear they notice. 4

7 CHAPTER 2: FIXED WIRE TESTING Fixed Wire Testing can be a confusing concept, as it s known by many names; Fixed Installation Testing, Electrical Installation Condition Reporting, Periodic Inspection and Testing, Hard Wire Testing, Fixed Testing, Periodic Testing and Electrical Testing. For the purposes of this ebook, we ll stick to Fixed Wire Testing. As already covered in Chapter 1, Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) covers the Inspection of appliances that are movable (frequently or infrequently) and not installed in place, intended to stay in situ. Fixed Wire Testing covers the rest of the testing required, on installations and other systems as determined by the laws already addressed in Chapter 1. What is Fixed Wire Testing? Fixed Wire Testing covers all the electrical systems not inspected by PAT guidelines: hard wiring in a building, lighting, sockets, air conditioning, fixed plant (installations) and main panels. Just like PAT, Fixed Wire Testing relies on a mixture of visual inspections and specialist equipment to determine safety. How does Fixed Wire Testing work? Although visual inspection is an integral part of Fixed Wire Testing, due to the way that many installations are set up, it is simply not possible or practical to visually inspect every single joint and termination. However, sample visual inspections are a core part of the Fixed Wire Testing procedure and inspection should cover as much of the accessible parts of the installation as possible. Fixed Wire Testing will examine switchgear, luminaire points and socket outlets to check the conductor terminal connections are properly installed, secure and safe. Fixed Wire Testing will require each circuit to be powered off so that the condition of the circuit can be identified. Specialist equipment is used for the tests to highlight any lack of earthing or bonding, discover and rectify overloaded circuits and to find potential hazards. Circuit breakers and trip mechanisms will be tested and put through tests to replicate fault conditions to ensure their fail-safe mechanisms are sound. Common faults found in electrical installations are faulty equipment or wiring, overloaded sockets and circuits, broken accessories and poor installation work. What tests are part of Fixed Wire Testing? Switching devices inspection Visual inspection of a small sample of switching devices to assess their working condition Protective devices inspection Verification of the accessibility, condition and presence of those devices used for isolation, protection and switching. Overload settings and protection of the fuse or circuit-breaker will be assessed Reporting is an essential part of the Fixed Wire Testing procedure and any signs of wear, damage, deterioration or overheating from the initial visual inspection must be included in this document, known as the Electrical Installation Condition Report. More information on this mandatory report is included later in the chapter. 5

8 Marking and labelling Ensuring that each circuit is labelled correctly and that the following is clearly marked; different voltages, earthing and bonding connections, Residual Current Devices (or R.C.Ds) Continuity of Protective Conductors and Earthed Equipotential Bonding Verifying the continuity of any installations that may be safely isolated from the supply. Continuity and earth fault loop impedance tests will ensure the combined integrity of conductors. Polarity Test Ensuring correct polarity at the meter and consumer unit (or distribution board), socket outlets have safe connections with their conductors, lamp holders are correctly attached to the earthed neutral conductor and multi-pole devices have been installed correctly. Earth Fault Loop Impedance Connection of a resistor from the phase to the protective conductor to confirm correct connection and warn of reversed polarity. Insulation Resistance Ensuring insulation prevents the leakage of electrical current. Operation of Devices for Isolation and Switching Verifying how effective isolation and switching devices are as well as their labels and markings. What will the Electrical Installation Condition Report show? An essential part of your records and the Fixed Wire Testing procedure, the Electrical Installation Condition Report will detail all the results of each test and show whether the tested areas and installations are safe to use until the next due installation. It will document damage, deterioration and wear and tear that affects safety and identify and report on any problems that breach regulations. IMPORTANT NOTE: The report will either be labelled as satisfactory or unsatisfactory and will also highlight any hazards and potential areas of concern and detail them as follows: C1 There is a real danger present which presents a likely risk of injury. Immediate remedial action is necessary C2 There is a potentially dangerous issue which requires very urgent remedial action C3 There is an issue which requires improvement - whilst not immediately unsafe, the fault or issue is not compliant with current standards Operation of Residual Current Devices Simulation of fault conditions to ensure that current trips where it should. 6

9 What does the law say about Fixed Wire Testing? The laws covering Fixed Wire Testing are the same laws which outline the PAT Inspection requirements: The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The Management of Health and Safety Work Regulations 1999 The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Please see Chapter 1 for a brief explanation of these laws. Fixed Wire Testing is also covered by British Standard BS 7671: 2015 Amendment 3 (IET Wiring Regulations), which is a regulation rather than a statutory document. How often should Fixed Wire Testing be completed? How often you should conduct Fixed Wire Testing can depend on a lot of factors, including the type of installation and where it is (e.g. a hospital, educational establishment, office or shop, etc). It will also depend on the amount of use and the way an installation is used, how frequently (and how well) an installation is maintained and any external influences, such as the environment and conditions in which it is kept. A change of occupancy will usually trigger a need for Fixed Wire Testing and for the majority of commercial properties, a period of 5 years between Fixed Wire Testing Inspections is required, with routine checks being completed annually. This is as recommended by IET guidelines. Practical considerations for Facilities Managers regarding Fixed Wire Testing It may or may not be your responsibility to arrange Fixed Wire Testing - if you are renting the premises that you manage from an external landlord, you must check your tenancy agreement. Most agreements require 5 yearly (quinquennial) testing as well as testing at the end of a tenancy. Circuits must be switched off to ensure safe Fixed Wire Testing, which may cause some inconvenience to those using the facilities. It may be better to arrange for testing to happen outside operational hours, if this is possible. If any C1 (highly dangerous) faults are identified (see the Electrical Installation Condition Report section, above, for more details), check whether your tester will isolate or fix these at the time. Regular audits of your sites will help you manage and prioritise how often Fixed Wire Testing should be conducted and good record keeping is essential for ensuring you can easily locate necessary certificates of compliance and Electrical Installation Condition Reports. Choosing a contractor with nationwide coverage is a good idea if you have multiple sites and will help you negotiate rates and levels of service. Notify staff well in advance about upcoming testing so that they are aware to save their computer work or power down machinery. REMEMBER TO: Keep all reports safe for the life of your installation to ensure compliance and to provide evidence of your testing regime in the case of an incident or a surprise visit from the Health and Safety Executive. 7

10 CHAPTER 3: FIRE ALARM TESTS AND INSPECTION Everyone is familiar with the fire drill, usually conducted when rain is on the horizon and you left your umbrella at home. However, a fire drill isn t the only necessary part of testing and inspecting a Fire Alarm - this is a more involved process requiring careful planning and attention to the type of Fire Alarm installation. The wider issue of general fire safety and compliance is a complex area and is covered in more detail in The Facilities Manager s Guide to M&E Compliance. What is Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection? Fire Alarms protect people, assets and property so must be maintained properly to prevent contaminants, dirt and age from compromising their operation. Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection can prevent problems from arising and quickly remedy any issues that do crop up. Improper maintenance, deliberate, criminal vandalism and building work can damage fire protection equipment, preventing its optimum operation. How does Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection work? Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection will test and calibrate all the systems, simulate fault conditions, ensure the right sensitivity levels and check any batteries and emergency power supplies. The testing and inspection procedures will also allow you to assess the likelihood of needing to replace your entire Fire Alarm system and help you to ensure a proper system response in the case of an emergency situation. Weekly check procedures Fire alarms must be tested on a weekly basis and the results of the tests should be recorded in the fire logbook. To ensure all call points are tested on a regular basis, different call points should be used every week. 6 month check procedures Visual inspection to highlight damage and deterioration 10% of manual call points and automatic detection systems are tested for correct operation Batteries tested for operation Control Panel Fire and Fault Indication Lamps checked to ensure they are in good working order Defects discovered recorded on the observations and recommendations section of the fire log book Any defects determined as C1 or C2 defects (see Fixed Wire Testing section for more detail on C1, C2 and C3 defects) 8

11 Annual check procedures All of the 6 month check procedures are followed again, but with the addition of: All manual call points and automatic detection systems are tested for correct operation Batteries are tested for operation and for performance under load (removing mains power supply) What types of Fire Alarm Systems are there and what are the differences? Category L (and L1 to L5) Category L systems are automatic fire detection and fire alarm systems. They are divided into 5 different systems as follows; L1 systems are designed to provide the earliest warning of a fire to allow the maximum available time for evacuation. They are installed throughout every part of a building. L2 systems are installed in defined parts of a building, designed to give all occupants as much possible time to evacuate a building. They are identical to L3 systems, but with additional detection for specified high risk areas, such as kitchens, where people sleep or where hazardous materials are present. L3 systems are purpose designed for early warning to everyone. Identical to L3 systems but excluding provision for high risk areas, when there are none present. L4 systems are installed in parts of the escape routes comprising circulation areas and spaces, including corridors and stairways. L5 systems are generally specialist systems designed for specific fire safety objectives (separate from the other available Category L systems). P1 systems are installed in all parts of the building and are designed to minimise the damage caused to the property in between the fire starting and the arrival of firefighting teams. P2 systems are installed in defined parts of the building identified as higher fire risk areas or areas of importance to the company s operation and business continuity (e.g. server rooms for IT companies) to provide early warning. What does the law say about Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection? The laws specifically covering Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection are The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which mandates the proper maintenance of all electrical equipment with the potential for causing injury. There is no indication for the frequency of the maintenance. However, it is recommended by the IET that Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection should be carried out regularly and that Fire Alarms should be maintained according to the regulations and guidance provided by British Standard BS5839 Part Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems for Buildings. This is a non-statutory Code of Practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises. The laws covering Fire Safety in general are The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005) which means that you must carry out suitable and sufficient fire risk assessments, test and maintain fire protection equipment and provide adequate fire safety training for your employees. Category M Category M systems are manual systems (i.e. not automatic). Category P ( and P1 & P2) Category P systems are automatic fire alarm and detected systems designed to protect property and are split into 2 subdivisions: 9

12 provided by British Standard BS5839 Part Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems for Buildings. This is a non-statutory Code of Practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises. Further details on your responsibilities regarding overall fire safety are available in The Facilities Manager s Guide to M&E Compliance. Other British Standards relating to Fire Alarms include: BS :2013 BS EN 54-11:2001 BS :1988 BS EN 54-4:1998 BS EN 54-2:1997+A1:2006 BS :2013 BS :2008 BS :2003 Communicate regularly with occupants about their responsibility to report any issues with Fire Alarms - people have been known to tape over flashing lights or horns where they are faulty to prevent annoyance without thinking to report the initial fault. IMPORTANT NOTE: If rooms change purpose, such an office becoming a storage facility, this can change the needs of the installed systems. A lot of paper in an area previously designated as office space or a change of function from a stationery cupboard to a server room can increase the risk of fire. Practical considerations for Facilities Managers regarding Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection Find a contractor with nationwide coverage if you have multiple sites - this will allow you to negotiate rates and keep better track of the records of your Fire Alarm Tests and Inspections. Notify staff well in advance of your testing dates and times to minimise disruption, confusion or potential concern. When improvements are being made to a building, make sure that these do not impact on the safety and operation of your Fire Alarms. Painting over them or knocking off key functional parts can render them useless. 10

13 CHAPTER 4: EMERGENCY SAFETY LIGHTING TESTS AND INSPECTION For most people, Emergency Safety Lighting is usually only noticed when something goes wrong or when it s pointed out by an air steward on their wellearned holiday flight. But for a Facilities Manager, it s a very important, final part of ensuring the safety of occupants during an incident. Without Emergency Safety Lighting, people evacuating a dangerous building may encounter unexpected hazards that could have been avoided or simply harm themselves in an otherwise safe building that has lost power. Water-based ventilation systems should be checked regularly to prevent against the risk of legionella. What is Emergency Safety Lighting Testing and Inspection? Emergency Lighting allows the safe passage of employees and visitors to a building in the event of an emergency or loss of power. Emergency Safety Lighting should illuminate automatically when the normal lighting fails and should be of a level that enables all occupants to leave the building as quickly and safely as possible. Emergency Safety Lighting Testing and Inspection will involve visual inspection, simulation of emergency circumstances and reporting of defects. How does Emergency Safety Lighting Testing and Inspection work? Annual Testing & Inspection procedures Visual inspection of all luminaries to ensure good working condition Charging indicators checked for operation - both when charging and after the test Defects like failed batteries and lamps will be noted and reported on as a non-compliance issue Emergency Safety Lighting will be run on batteries for 3 hours to ensure it functions correctly and lasts the duration. Emergency Safety Lighting will be tested and inspected while normal lights are functioning so there is no need to power off normal lighting during any testing. What types of Emergency Safety Lighting systems are there and what are the differences? There are three basic types of Emergency Safety Lighting systems: Maintained Emergency Lighting, which means that luminaire are powered on at all times whether normal or emergency lighting is used; Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting, which powers on only when a the normal lighting power fails and Central Battery Emergency Lighting, which means luminaires for maintained or non-maintained operations are powered from a central emergency power system not contained within the luminaire. 11

14 Emergency Safety Lighting can be split into the following subdivisions: Emergency Escape Lighting Part of the requirements of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, this provides light for those leaving a location or to help operatives terminate potentially dangerous operations before leaving a location. Escape Route Lighting The lighting system that allows occupants of a building to clearly see and use escape routes. Open area lighting Emergency Safety Illumination that allows occupants of a building to reach a place where they can access an escape route. High risk area lighting Lighting that activates in an emergency situation for the purposes of allowing people involved in dangerous work activities to start shut-down procedures for the safety of the operator. What does the law say about Emergency Safety Lighting Testing and Inspection? Emergency Safety Lighting Testing and Inspection is governed by the following laws: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Requiring building managers or employers to carry out suitable and sufficient Emergency Safety Lighting risk assessments and test and maintain Emergency Safety Lighting equipment. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This mandates the proper maintenance of all electrical equipment with the potential for causing injury. There is no indication for the frequency of the maintenance. However, it is recommended by the IET that Emergency Safety Lighting Testing and Inspection should be carried out regularly and that Emergency Safety Lighting should be maintained according to the regulations and guidance provided by British Standard 5266 Part Emergency Lighting, which is a non-statutory Code of Practice for the Emergency Escape Lighting of Premises. Other British Standards relating to Emergency Safety Lighting include: BS : 2011 BS EN 1838:1999 / BS :1999 BS EN 50172:2004 / BS :2004 BS EN : 2008 BS EN 62034:2006 BS EN 50171:

15 Practical considerations for Facilities Managers regarding Emergency Safety Lighting Testing and Inspection The annual testing is not the only necessary testing for Emergency Safety Lighting - emergency lighting systems should also be checked monthly (in accordance with BS EN 50172:2004/ BS :2004). Short and functional, this test should simulate failure so that luminaires and signs can be checked for proper function. Daily checks are necessary where the power source is one central, back-up battery system. This requires daily visual inspection of the central power supply indicators. Find a contractor with nationwide coverage if you have multiple sites - this will allow you to negotiate rates and keep better track of the records of your Emergency Safety Lighting and Inspections. Notify staff well in advance of your testing dates and times to minimise disruption, confusion or potential concern. Keep documentation of all Emergency Safety Lighting Tests and Inspection records. This will help you in case of an incident where you must show evidence you have done everything possible to prevent accidents due to insufficient lighting. When improvements are being made to a building, make sure that these do not impact on the operation of your Emergency Safety Lighting. Painting over light covers, damaging bulbs or knocking off key functional parts can render them less visible and therefore noncompliant. Communicate regularly with occupants about their responsibility to report any issues with Emergency Safety Lighting - Health and Safety is everyone s responsibility. 13

16 CONCLUSION The safety of your electrical systems, including Emergency Safety Lighting and Fire Alarms is crucial to ensure that both life and property is as free from hazards, danger and risk as possible. Most accidents of this kind are due to poor supervision, inadequate risk assessment or faulty electrical equipment and the costs to those involved are higher than just compensation payouts and fines. The pain and suffering, time off work, need to replace or repair equipment, increased insurance premiums and legal costs all add up to a mistake that should have been avoided. Precaution and prevention are important; morally, legally and financially. DID YOU KNOW? Electric shocks as low as 50 volts can stop breathing or stop the heart and static electricity can easily cause fire or explosion when it comes into contact with an explosive atmosphere. For more information on any of the laws or guidance included in this ebook, please refer to the Health and Safety Executive s website at hse.gov.uk. Further details on British Standards detailed in this ebook are available at the BSI s website at Important note: whilst all reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this ebook, readers should note that this document does not constitute nor replace legal advice or advice from a trained advisor. In many cases the information presented is generalist and cannot apply to all circumstances nor facilities. 14

17 ABOUT THE AUTHORS About INTEGRAL INTEGRAL UK Ltd is the largest independently owned Mechanical, Electrical and Fabric property maintenance business in the UK, providing both Planned Preventative and Reactive Maintenance to over 1,600 clients in 40,000 locations. From a reputation of delivering engineering excellence and a strong partnership culture, we provide a range of maintenance solutions individually tailored to suit our client s needs. Our one-team approach ensures we always strive to identify opportunities for improved efficiency that provide our clients with cost effective, sustainable solutions. With 19 offices our regional infrastructure allows us to maintain control of the business and ensure quality of service. Unlike many of our competitors we are national specialists in planned and responsive maintenance and all our services are based on `self delivery`, which means that we employ only the best, fully qualified inhouse technicians and engineers to maintain quality standards. With nearly 2,000 technicians and engineers, we operate one of the largest national mobile maintenance fleet - an engineer in every postcode enabling us to focus on first time fix and a quick and efficient response. Contact details If you want to find out more about how Integral can help you, Contact Mark Evans on mark.evans@integral.co.uk or call on