Factories (Electricity) Regulations, 1972

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Year: 1972
• Citation: IR SI 3/1972

S.I. No. 3 of 1972.
FACTORIES (ELECTRICITY) REGULATIONS, 1972.
ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS.
PART I.
Preliminary and General.
Regulation
1. Short title and commencement.
2. Interpretation.
3. Application.
4. Exemption.
5. Revocation of Electricity Regulations (1932).
PART II.
General Safety Provisions.
6. Effective means suitably located for cutting off electricity.
7. Suitability of electrical apparatus.
8. Switches, circuit breakers and other control devices.
9. & 10. Switchboards.
11. Installation of apparatus.
12. Substation.
13. Electrical joint and connection.
14. Flexible cable for portable apparatus.
15. Earthing. The use of " double insulated tools ".
16. Control of machinery.
17. Insulation.
18. & 19. Cables.
20. Flexible cables.
21. Portable apparatus.
22. Portable hand lamps.
23. Transformers.
24. Authorised or competent person.
25. Working on electrical apparatus.
26. Testing of installation.
27. Electrical welding.
28. Fencing of outdoor apparatus.
29. Overhead lines.
30. Notices.
S.I. No. 3 of 1972.
FACTORIES (ELECTRICITY) REGULATIONS, 1972.
I, JOSEPH BRENNAN, Minister for Labour, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by Sections 6 and 71 of the Factories Act, 1955 (No. 10 of 1955) and the Labour (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1966 ( S.I. No. 164 of 1966 ), after consultation with the Minister for Health, and after due compliance with the provisions of the Third Schedule to that Act, hereby make as special regulations the following Regulations :
PART I. Preliminary and General.
	1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Factories (Electricity) Regulations, 1972.
(2) (a) These Regulations, other than Regulations 16, 21 (2) and 22 (2), shall come into operation on the 1st day of March, 1972.
(b) Regulations 16, 21 (2) and 22 (2) of these Regulations shall come into operation on the 1st day of March, 1974.
	2. In these Regulations—
" the Act " means the Factories Act, 1955 (No. 10 of 1955);
" authorised person " means a person who is competent for the particular purpose of these Regulations in relation to which the expression is used and who is also either the occupier, or a contractor who is for the time being under contract with the occupier, or a person employed, appointed or selected by the occupier or such contractor, to carry out work or duties incidental to the generation, transformation, conversion, switching, controlling, regulating, storage, transmission, distribution or use of electrical energy;
" circuit " means an electrical circuit forming a system or branch of a system;
" circuit-breaker " means a mechanical device, including any fuse, capable of making and breaking a circuit under normal and abnormal conditions such as that of short-circuit, and unless otherwise specified, means a circuit-breaker designed to break a current automatically;
" conductor " means an electrical conductor designed to be electrically connected to a system;
" danger " means danger to health or danger to life or limb from shock, burn or other injury to persons employed, or from fire attendant upon the generation, transformation, conversion, switching, controlling, regulating, storage, transmission, distribution or use of electrical energy;
" double-insulated tool " means electrically driven apparatus which has double, reinforced or double and reinforced insulation and which has not got provision for earthing and which is one of the following types,
(a) a portable insulation-encased apparatus in which all metal parts (other than a chuck or other tool-holder or a nameplate, screw, rivet or other small part and which is isolated from all other metal parts by reinforced insulation or by insulation no less effective than reinforced insulation) are covered with insulating material in the form of a durable and substantial continuous enclosure, or
(b) a portable metal encased apparatus all the metal-work of which a person may handle is separated from the conductors by double insulation so as to prevent that metal-work from becoming electrically charged or, where, in case the double insulation of any such metal-work is impracticable, that metal-work is so separated for the purpose aforesaid by reinforced insulation;
" dead " means at or about earth potential, and disconnected from any live system;
" earthed " means connected to the general mass of earth in such manner as will at all times ensure an immediate discharge of electrical energy without danger;
" electrical apparatus " includes any conductor or electric cable and any part of any machine, apparatus or appliance, being a part designed for the generation, transformation, conversion, switching, controlling, regulating, storage, transmission, distribution or use of electrical energy;
"flexible cable" means an electric cable which is designed to be movable while in use;
"general register" means the register kept in pursuance of Section 122 of the Act;
"inspector" means an inspector appointed under the Act;
"insulating material" means non-conducting material enclosing, surrounding or supporting a conductor or any part thereof, and which is of such quality and thickness as to prevent danger;
"insulation resistance" means the resistance between two conductors or systems of conductors normally separated by insulation, or, the resistance between any such conductors and earth;
"isolated" means disconnected from the source of electrical energy;
"live" means electrically charged;
"metallic covering" in relation to any cable means an iron or steel wire covering or a rigid iron, steel or other hard metal conduit pipe or other suitable metallic sheath;
"Minister" means the Minister for Labour.
"overhead line" means any electric line which is placed above ground and suspended in the open air;
"portable apparatus" means apparatus including hand-held portable apparatus which, because of the manner in which it is to be used, requires to be moved while it is working, or which is designed so that it can be moved while it is working;
"portable hand lamp" means an electric lamp for inspection purposes suitable for carrying in the hand and supplied with electrical energy from a circuit by means of a flexible cable;
"public electricity supply" means the supply of electrical energy authorised by an Act of the Oireachtas or by an instrument thereunder;
"substation" means any building, enclosure or other structure or any part thereof which is large enough to enable to person to enter the building, structure or part after the electrical apparatus therein is in position and which contains apparatus for transforming or converting electrical energy either to or from a voltage exceeding 650 volts (not being apparatus for transforming or converting electrical energy solely for the operation of switchgear or instruments), and includes the said apparatus, together with any other apparatus for switching, controlling or otherwise regulating the electrical energy, therein;
"switchboard" means the collection of switches, fuses or conductors and any other apparatus ancillary thereto which is used to control the current or voltage in a system or part of a system;
"system" means an electrical system in which all the conductors and apparatus are electrically connected to a common source of electromotive force;
"transportable apparatus" means apparatus which, because of the purpose for which it is designed to be used, is moved from time to time between the periods during which it is working.
	3. (1) Subject to Regulation 4 thereof, these Regulations shall apply to the generation, transformation, conversion, switching, controlling, regulating, storage, transmission, distribution and use of electrical energy in—
(a) any factory within the meaning of the Act, and
(b) any premises or place, or to the carrying on of any process, operation or work or machinery or plant used in such a process, to which the provisions of Part V of that Act with respect to special regulations for safety and health are applied by sections 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 and 89 thereof.
(2) It shall be the duty of the occupier to comply with these Regulations.
(3) It shall be the duty of all agents of an occupier, workmen and persons employed in or on any premises, place, process, operation, work, plant or machinery mentioned in paragraph (1) of this regulation to conduct their work in accordance with these Regulations.
	4 (1) Any process or electrical apparatus used exclusively for electro-chemical, electro-thermal (other than welding), testing or research purposes shall be worked and the apparatus shall be constructed and protected and such precautions as are necessary shall be taken so as to prevent danger, and, apart from the foregoing, these Regulations shall not apply to such process or apparatus.
(2) These Regulations shall not apply to electrical apparatus, other than portable apparatus and transportable apparatus, forming part of the permanent electrical installation of a ship if the apparatus or the installation of which it forms part is used only
(a) for the lighting of the work in a ship in relation to which the provisions of section 86 (2) or section 87 of the act apply, or
(b) for the supply of electrical energy for the purpose of any such work, and neither Regulation 21 (2), 22 (2) nor 23 (2) of these Regulations shall apply to portable or transportable apparatus connected to such installation.
(3) These Regulations shall not apply to any service lines or electrical apparatus on the supply side of a consumer's terminals, or to any chamber containing such service lines or electrical apparatus where the supply is given from outside under Electricity Supply Board Regulations provided always that no live metal is exposed so that it may be touched.
(4) If the occupier can show, with...