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Businesses waste £30m on unnecessary safety tests

Businesses are wasting an estimated £30 million on unnecessary safety tests each year due to misleading advice and advertising.

Low-risk businesses including offices, shops and hotels have been found to be paying unnecessarily for excessive maintenance regimes. By law employers must ensure that electrical equipment is maintained to prevent danger, but it does not say how often an item should be tested, or how often it should be carried out.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety is now issuing revised guidance on portable appliance testing.

HSE Chair Judith Hackitt said: “We know that low-risk companies are being misled over what the law requires when it comes to maintaining portable electrical appliances, and many are paying for testing that is not needed.

“Businesses are responsible for protecting their employees, but they shouldn’t be wasting their money on unnecessary checks that have no real benefit.

“HSE has always advocated a proportionate, risk-based approach to maintenance. This new guidance is simple and clear to follow.”

Testing appliances to ensure that they are safe to use can contribute to an effective maintenance regime, but in a low-risk environment most dangerous defects can be found simply by checking the appliances for obvious signs of damage such as frayed cables.

Nick Starling, Director of General Insurance at the Association of British Insurers, added: “Insurers have never required policyholders to undertake unnecessary portable electrical appliance tests which are not proportionate to the risk.

“We welcome HSE’s guidance, which will help businesses focus on what they do best, free from worries about health and safety myths.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .