School portable electrical equipment maintenance procedure

This procedure applies where a school uses portable electrical equipment. It is intended for maintained and academy primary and secondary schools in England and should be applied in a way that reflects the equipment, its environment and the risks.

1. Identify the equipment in scope

The person responsible for the scheme, [responsible role], should identify the portable electrical equipment that the school uses and that could cause injury. The scope should cover the equipment included in the school’s maintenance approach rather than assuming that every item requires the same control.

The school may use an inventory or another scope record to identify the equipment covered by the scheme.

2. Determine proportionate maintenance controls

Determine what physical maintenance or other appropriate controls are needed to keep equipment that could cause injury in a safe condition and prevent danger. The controls should be based on the equipment, its environment and the risks.

Do not treat inspection, testing or an annual interval as automatically required for every portable electrical appliance. The maintenance approach should specify the controls considered necessary for the equipment in scope.

Where the selected controls require inspection or repair, arrange for this to be carried out by a competent person or service.

3. Act on inspection, testing or repair results

Consider the result of any inspection, testing or repair carried out under the maintenance approach. Where equipment is unsafe or presents a danger, remove it from use or arrange for it to be repaired before it is used again.

The school may retain inspection and test logs, asset identifiers or labels, and defect and repair records as management tools. Labels and records are not treated by this procedure as universal legal requirements.

4. Review the maintenance scheme

Review the effectiveness of the maintenance scheme using the information available from the school’s chosen controls, including inspection or test results, repair and defect information, and any records or labels used to monitor the scheme.

The person responsible for the scheme should determine whether the approach continues to keep equipment in a safe condition and prevent danger, and should adjust the controls where the equipment, environment or risks require a different approach.

5. Records and labels

Where the school chooses to use records or labels, use them to monitor and review the effectiveness of the maintenance scheme and to demonstrate that a scheme exists. Their use does not create a universal requirement for every item to be labelled or for every inspection or test to be recorded.