Martindale’s ‘safe isolation procedure checklist’ for safer working

Martindale Electric has created a practical and comprehensive checklist to help organisations generate procedures for safe isolation and demonstrate that it is carried out correctly, consistently, and in line with the Electricity at Work Regulations.

Failure to correctly isolate electrical circuits is one of the most common causes of serious injury and fatal accidents in electrical work. To ensure safe isolation is not optional, assumed, or informal, it must be carried out following the correct procedure, performed with compliant equipment, undertaken by competent persons, and documented and demonstrable if challenged.

The Martindale checklist is designed to assist health & safety managers, duty holders and responsible persons, technical managers, electrical contractors, utilities and infrastructure providers, facilities and estates teams, plus councils and housing associations. It especially helps with internal audits, contractor onboarding and reviews, training refreshers, incident prevention programmes and compliance assessments. 

Students and apprentices will also find it a practical and informative reference tool to support their learning and development. 

The full checklist covers off a series of activities electrical professionals need to implement to keep safe: safe isolation procedure; identification of supply; isolation devices, lock-off and tagging; voltage indicator compliance; proven unit/known source; testing for dead; competence and training; equipment condition and calibration, documents and records, plus monitoring and review.

In the event of an incident, investigation, or audit, organisations are expected to prove that safe isolation procedures were followed correctly, not merely that staff were ‘trained’ or ‘experienced’. If safe isolation cannot be proven, it is often assumed not to have taken place.

Steve Dunning, MD at Martindale Electric, said:

“Safe isolation is one of the most critical controls in electrical safety. Implemented properly and consistently, it prevents injury and saves lives; however, done poorly it can expose individuals and organisations to serious risk. This checklist is an aid to help ensure safe isolation is not just carried out, but actioned correctly, consistently, and defensibly.” 

View and download the checklist at: martindale-electric.co.uk/safety-isolation-procedure-compliance-checklist/