THE ANSWER, FIRST
Identify the electrical risks and use competent help to establish suitable precautions under Northern Ireland’s requirements.
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Who is responsibleYour next stepsBefore spending moneyWhat you can do yourselfPutting it into practiceRecords to keepWhen to reviewCommon questionsOfficial sourcesWho is responsible?
Businesses in Northern Ireland whose activities involve electrical equipment, installations or work near electricity.
Take suitable precautions to reduce electrical injury risks. Establish the local requirements for your work using HSENI guidance and competent advice.
START HERE
Your next three steps
- 1
Identify equipment, installations and work that could create electrical risks.
- 2
Establish who is responsible for controlling those risks.
- 3
Use HSENI guidance and competent electrical advice to decide what inspection and maintenance is needed.
BEFORE YOU PAY
Make sure you’re buying the right job
- Distinguish the fixed installation from portable equipment.
- Find the previous reports and any unresolved defects.
- Ask which local requirements and risks the proposed work addresses.
Watch out: Do not treat a GB legal reference or a supplier’s standard testing package as a complete explanation of your Northern Ireland duties.
Compare the whole cost of two quotesWhat can you do yourself?
Collect records, identify responsibilities and provide a way for staff to report damage or concerns. Do not carry out technical inspection or repairs beyond your competence.
When to get competent help
Use competent electrical advice to agree inspection, testing and maintenance suited to the work and equipment.
Separate the local requirement from the supplier’s package
Before you commission work
Give the electrical contractor existing records and explain whether you need help with equipment, the fixed installation or both. State that the premises are in Northern Ireland and ask how the proposed scope addresses the local requirements. Clarify access and operational restrictions before agreeing a date.
Follow through on the result
Ask the competent contractor to explain the findings, exclusions and next steps. Keep repair quotations tied to the identified defects and retain completion evidence. Where a standard renewal is offered, ask for the reasoning for this installation or equipment rather than treating the supplier’s default interval as the whole answer.
Compare costs and decide what to buy
Use these buying guides to prepare your brief, check exclusions and compare the whole price.
Keep a useful record
Aim for information that helps the next person make a sound decision.
- Equipment and installation information.
- Inspection findings, limitations and remedial action.
- The reasons for the maintenance and review arrangements.
When to review it
Ask for a suitable inspection and maintenance regime for the equipment, its use and the applicable local requirements.
Ask a supplier to distinguish a legal deadline, a recommendation based on risk and a condition in your contract or insurance. They are not interchangeable.
Questions to put to a provider
- Which local requirements apply to this work?
- What risks does the proposed inspection address?
- What checks and maintenance remain our responsibility?
Common questions
Does a generic testing package settle our responsibilities?
No. Confirm the local requirements and the scope of the equipment or installation before deciding what is needed.
Check the official sources
Read the current guidance for the place where you operate. A link is not an endorsement of this website by the regulator.
Source-checked guidance. Specialist editorial sign-off is pending; this is not an assessment of your business. It does not cover every specialist activity or replace competent, case-specific advice.
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