Electrical Qualifications/Regulations

[Racer_Rob]

I've recently become technical manager of my universities theatre society. I'm going to receive training on working at height/scaff towers and fire training but I've had no information on electrical training. I'm looking to get an idea of what's available before I contact the university, just so I've have an idea of what I'm talking about.

Let's say I want to wire a regular 50W incandescent lamp above the stage for a scene in a house, or say I want to put an in-line switch on a generic fixture so a stage hand can operate it - what training would I need to receive to be legally able to do this? I am studying mechanical engineering with modules in electrical engineering and signals & systems and I also have 4 years experience of theatre lighting systems so I have no doubt I could do the jobs described above, the question is how do I do them legally i.e. which regulations must I make sure I comply with.

 

As a starting point, obviously whatever I 'create' would need to be PAT tested, so PAT training (or contacting the universities regular PAT tester) would have to happen.

[paulears]

Do you know how to do it properly, and when you've done it, would you be happy to plug it in WITHOUT testing?

 

What I mean is not that you should, but do you actually have confidence in your own abilities?

 

What worries me a little is the apparent mismatch in your existing skills. You have 4 years experience of doing practical lighting, and you're doing an engineering degree with electrical and electronic modules - yet posing the question as to the legalities seems to contradict your skill levels.

 

There is no qualification required to be able to put a 50W lamp above the stage - although the use of '50W' is a bit odd in itself? 40, 60 and 100W types are common - but you use 50 - and I can't remember ever seeing a 50W lamp? All that is needed is to be competent. Most fittings and switches even come with wiring instructions, that most people never even read - but usually these detail how to do it.

 

I wonder why you want to be Technical Manager, if you are not comfy with technical things at such a basic level. It's not that common any more to even use the term 'stage hand', which although is what some people call themselves, is more frequently used to describe people doing jobs not quite understood?

 

If we're talking about a standard BC type plastic lampholder, as bought in B&Q or similar, then the actual process isn't complicated. The mechanical elements are simply making sure the cable clamp works and the outer sheath doesn't get cut back too much to expose the brown and blue conductors. It still works, but is bad practice. Electrically we're talking about stripping back just the right amount of conductor insulation and screwing down a terminal - pretty well that is it. Visually you should be able to check for stray wires not inside the terminal, too much bare conductor showing, or a poor cable clamp meaning the strain is on the conductors, not the outer sheath. That's it. Well within anybodies DIY skills really. Sticking it on the tester won't produce much in the way of results, because there's no earth conductor to test, and all insulation is plastic. However, it will produce a PASS result and a sticker.

 

In terms of compliance, you just need to be able to do it safely and in a way not to pose an unacceptable risk to others. There are things like the formal electrical regs, but you're not really straying out of home DIY capability.

 

You won't be wiring fire alarm circuits, or even putting in permanent wiring that would need a 'real' sparky - you're just doing very basic stuff.

 

The call is a personal one. Are you competent to do it? Only you can decide.

[Racer_Rob]

Hi Paul,

 

I simply ask about the legalities because I'm very aware that when you do work like this (where other peoples safety/property/money is at risk) that extra rules can apply, e.g. I know how to phone a contractor but if I just called my mate 'Dave' to do a job for my employer then I'm at risk of breaking open and fair competition rules, even though both methods achieve the same thing, things don't always work the same way outside of your front door - maybe not the best example but hopefully you see what I mean. Previously I've worked solely with regular stage lanterns and never needed to do work like this, I'd now like to get more adventurous/abstract with my designs which may mean designing things that can't be achieved with standard lanterns alone.

I refer to stage hand because in my example their just flicking a switch backstage, as you say, it's just an extra odd job for someone to do.

 

I see what you're saying; an unconfident and incompetent technician is a dangerous technician. My uncertainties are with extra rules & regs that may apply when you do things outside your front door. In terms of completing the job correctly in a safe manner I'm confident in my abilities.

 

Thanks for your help

[Rax]

Hi Rob,

 

I think the important thing is that you are 'adequately supervised' by the technicians and others on the university staff. In an ideal world you would be familiar with the electrical codes of practice in BS7671 and BS7909, and have completed the courses to that effect. But then you would be a professional already! You are very much in a training environment where you are developing your skills and indeed are expected to do so. The Uni should recognise that and develop safe systems of work where you can learn and make mistakes, but not injure or kill anyone in doing so.

[Racer_Rob]

I couldn't agree more Rax,

 

I've only just found out about BS7909 and BS7671, the latter of which my uni library stocks. As you say, if I read it cover to cover I'd be a professional but at the standard I'm working at being familiar with the primary regulations in it (and in books like 'Safety at Work' which I have also taken out) can only be benificial. Then, after I complete any 'custom wiring' type job I'll ask one of the in-house technicians to inspect my work.

[PaulDF]

You would have to be able to read BS7671 from cover to cover and have sufficient background knowledge to understand it, along with other training in order to be classed as "competent" as in the eyes of the law, it is never as easy as just picking up the big red book! The brb is for electrical installations so probably will be of limited benefit to you for this line of work.

You can still work under the supervision of someone who is competent.

[spaniellampie]

With dealing with any electrical installation you must comply with the ewr 1989 and the haswa 1974. The regs book is only a guide to complying with these to forms of legal legislation. If you want to get very technical you can perform any number of tests on the installation. if you are just wiring up a plug to a lamp with a switch in the cable then you will have to pat test the item. There will be a cpc (earth) from the lamb holder to the plug. This of course makes the item a class 1 piece of equipment and should have all tests carried out on it. It worries me that most lampies have such little idea of the current regs as they will encroach into lighting more and more. I am a qualified electrician and also a lighting technician. You don’t have to memories the big red book just know how to use it. grab a copy of the onsite guide. It will help you in all sorts of things. However, lots of things don’t apply as you are only installing a temporary installation. good qualifications to have are C&G 2330 levels 3 and 2.

Hope this has helped