ABSTRACT
Because of its importance, the subject of safe isolation is addressed in the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which contain statutory requirements in relation to this area of electrical safety. Over the years guidance documents about the correct procedure for safe isolation have been many and varied, with each trade organisation offering its own take on how to implement the requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Taken in isolation, the first paragraph of this regulation prohibits any person from working on or near live conductors. The hierarchy of controls, often used as a guiding principle for risk assessment, suggests that the best control measure is to remove the hazard in the first place. The duty holder must be able to make a case that isolating the conductor is 'unreasonable'. There are very few types of electrical work where this would be true.
