NICEIC Hazardous Areas Guide

Preparation for assessment visitPreparation for assessment visitTo enable the business to gain most benefit from thevisit, and to enable the assessment process to besuccessfully completed as quickly as reasonablypossible, it is important that each of the itemsshown are made ready for examination andassessment, prior to the Area Engineer's arrivalPlant and equipmentThe Area Engineer will need to establish that thebusiness has plant, tools and materials appropriateto the range and scale of the electrical workundertaken in hazardous areas.Technical reference documentsThe Area Engineer will need to check that, as aminimum, the business holds the latest edition ofeach of the following technical reference documentsat its place of business:For electrical work in hazardous areas wherethe risk is due to the presence of flammablegas or vapour:• BS EN 60079 Electrical equipment for explosivegas, vapour, mist or dustPart 10 - Classification of hazardous areasPart 14 - Electrical installations in hazardous areasPart 17 - Inspection and maintenance of electricalinstallations• EEMUA Practitioners Handbook(Publication No 186)For electrical work in the hazardous areas offilling stations:• IP/APEA Guidance for the design, construction,modification and maintenance and decommissioningof filling stationsInstallation certificates and reports issuedto clientsBS 7671: requires that an Electrical InstallationCertificate, together with a schedule of inspectionsand a schedule of test results, is issued to theperson ordering the work following the initialverification of an electrical installation. Alternatively,where appropriate, a Minor Electrical InstallationWorks Certificate may be issuedBS 7671: also requires that a Periodic InspectionReport, together with a schedule of inspections anda schedule of test results, is issued to the personordering the work following the periodic inspectionof an electrical installationThese electrical certificates and reports should beaccompanied by the appropriate hazardous areaforms, as detailed in BS EN 60079-17 or theIP/APEA Guide.The Area Engineer will review a sample ofcertificates, reports and schedules issued during theprevious year, including records of the results ofinitial and periodic inspections of installationsTraining certificates - proposed QualifiedSupervisor (Hazardous Areas)The Area Engineer will need to check the originals ofthe hazardous training certificates of the proposedQualified Supervisor (Hazardous Areas)Competence of operativesThe Area Engineer will need to check the system(such as training and experience records) that thebusiness uses to ensure that all operativesemployed on electrical work in potentially explosiveareas are either competent to undertake the work,or are placed under the supervision of a competentperson whilst undertaking such work. 'Constantsupervision' means direct contact at the site of thework on at least a daily basisPublic liability insuranceEvidence of a minimum of two million pounds' covermust be provided to the Area Engineer for the rangeof work undertaken by the business in hazardousareas. Note that it is public liability insurance, notemployers' liability insurance, that needs to becheckedList of electrical workA detailed list of all hazardous area work completedby the business during the previous year, and of allwork in progress, must be made available to enablethe Area Engineer to select the samples of work tobe assessed on site at a later dateGuide to extension of enrolment19