As soon as you see a mistake and don't fix it, it becomes your mistake.
Funfair Electrical Safety
There are two distinct electrical safety schemes that come into play when considering the funfair and event industries. These are ADIPS (Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme) and PAT (Portable Appliance Testing).
The relative strengths and weaknesses are as follow;
ADIPS Strengths
All equipment must be protected by a 30mA RCD (residual current device) which cuts the electrical supply in less than 40mS when a fault to earth develops.
A through inspection must be made by an accredited ADIPS engineer which prevents unqualified staff from self-testing systems, the ADIPS requirements for qualification is extremely rigourous
Protection against excess of current must be provided
The system of daily checks should help pick up electrical faults
ADIPS Weaknesses
Currently there is no requirement to test power supply cables, certain faults could compromise the operation of RCD devices.
The service provided by ADIPS approved inspectors varies from extremely professional to pretty much useless.
The 12 monthly test cycle means that some faults developing after the inspection may not be picked up for 364 days until the next inspection.
Many operators have a false idea that the 30mA RCD device protects against all faults, this can engender a false sense of security and lead to minor faults not being rectified immediately as “ The RCD will make it safe”.
Many organisations have not heard of the ADIPS scheme, and consequently will not accept ADIPS tested equipment
There are only a limited number of ADIPS registered inspectors, making it difficult sometimes to arrange a test at short notice
PAT Test Strengths
Power supply cables must be tested
The PAT system is widely recognised, meaning that equipment carrying a current PAT test will be accepted almost anywhere
Because of the widespread acceptance of the test, there are a large pool of qualified persons able to undertake testing. A Pat test can therefore generally be arranged at short notice if required.
It is possible to have in house personnel trained to carry out PAT testing.
PAT Test Weaknesses
The standards to become qualified for PAT testing are much lower than for the equivalent ADIPS inspector making it easier to become judged competent in PAT testing.
There is no requirement for RCD protection, meaning that some faults may not be protected against
There is no requirement for excess current protection in devices supplied by anything other than a standard household 13Amp type supply
Although the test is ubiquitous throughout the UK, there is a wide interpretation of the testing schedules, with many organisations accepting annual tests, and some such as Oxford colleges requiring quarterly inspections.
PAT testing only covers equipment upto 25 Amps, which excludes a great deal of funfair equipment
Summery
There is no single standard which covers all of the possible faults and dangers. The ADIPS scheme is inherently safer with its demand for excess current and RCD protection, but suffers from variable standards within the pool of inspectors, and also sometimes with a less rigourous approach to safety due to the common misperception that an RCD device will always work and always stop injuries and fatalities. Also the 12 months between testing is too long a period for equipment that is subject to handling regularly, and is used in a harsh outdoor climate. Additionally the lack of any form of power cable testing, means that not only is the RCD potentially compromised (which is the main protective measure under the ADIPS scheme), but the potential for ungrounded equipment becoming live exists.
The PAT system when applied on a frequent schedule offers the opportunity to arrest faults within a shorter time frame than the annual ADIPS requirements, and the requirement to test power supply cables eliminates a serious potential fault line. The relative ease with which an individual can be trained to competently carry out PAT testing when applied in a responsible manner means that an in house safety scheme can be implemented with testing schedules more suited to the events industry. The major flaw in the scheme is the lack of any requirement to fit and use safety devices to offer an additional level of protection.
Electrical Safety Improvements To Be Implemented
We have decided where possible to combine the 2 schemes to produce a hybrid with the best of both worlds, whilst still complying with the legal requirements of both schemes.
All equipment requiring an ADIPS test, will continue to be inspected by an ADIPS engineer
Additionally such equipment will be subject to PAT testing on a quarterly basis
Power supply cables will be subject to PAT testing on a quarterly basis
Key members of staff will be trained to achieve competency in PAT testing, coupled with the acquisition of in house PAT testing apparatus, we will be able to apply a regular schedule of testing
RCD test equipment has been acquired, this will enable us to test the response time of RCD protected attractions on a monthly basis to ensure adequate protection levels in excess of ADIPS standards
Attractions which do not currently fall under the ADIPS scheme, will nevertheless be fitted with RCD protection, or be supplied from power cables fitted with RCD protection
Other operators attending our events will be required to implement the same standards as we are doing. The hope is that this will help spread these improvements throughout the general industry.
The reappraisal of electrical safety will be an ongoing subject, as new best practice is identified or more efficient safety schemes or devices become available, we will look to incorporating them into our own scheme.
Copyright ©JARM Amusements 2009
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