Electrical safety is a vital component of health and safety management in every school. As part of their responsibilities, school leaders and premises teams must ensure that electrical systems and equipment are maintained in a safe condition and that means more than just ticking a box for inspections.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) outlines clear expectations for electrical safety at work. These include ensuring regular inspection and testing of equipment and installations, identifying risks, and acting promptly on any issues raised.
At NASPM, we want to take this opportunity to remind schools of three key pillars of electrical safety compliance:
- Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
Regular PAT testing helps to identify damaged or faulty portable electrical appliances that could pose a serious hazard. Annual PAT is considered best practice and is often scrutinised during audits. Keeping up to date with PAT testing helps mitigate risks from commonly used items such as kettles, laptops, projectors, and extension leads – after all, it’s amazing what appliances can find their way into school offices – often without the Premises Manager being told! At least an annual PAT will capture these and ensure they are tested.
- Five-Yearly Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR)
The five-yearly EICR is a statutory inspection designed to assess the safety and integrity of your school’s fixed electrical systems. Most schools are good at ensuring these inspections are completed and documented – but that’s only half the job.
- Taking Action on EICR Recommendations
The EICR will often identify corrective actions. These are usually categorised as:
- C1 (Danger Present) – immediate action required
- C2 (Potentially Dangerous) – urgent remedial action needed
- C3 (Improvement Recommended) – exactly what it means, and not to be ignored
- FI (Further Investigation Required) – issues that may conceal deeper risks
While the inspection report itself may be neatly filed away, we do see cases where the recommended remedial work is not followed through in a timely manner, or not clearly evidenced that it’s been done or scheduled to be done.
This poses a significant risk. Failing to act on C1, C2, C3 or FI items can lead to tragic consequences, including:
- Injury or loss of life
- Fire or damage to school property
- Business interruption and costly downtime
- Reputational harm to your school or Trust
- Potential enforcement action or penalties
Don’t Let Compliance Stop at Paperwork
An EICR is only as effective as the actions it prompts. As school estates professionals, caretakers, business managers, Headteachers and governors, we all have a shared responsibility to ensure follow-up work is prioritised, documented, and completed in a timely fashion.
Let’s all commit to being proactive about electrical safety – not just to satisfy audits, but to protect our people and our communities.