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Posted By Darren Honeyford Quick question - is it common practice within anyones organisation for your IT dept to ask/inform members of staff when they ring with a problem, to fiddle with the power mains cable and or other data cables whilst still plugged in to an electricity point to resolve the problem. For example whilst a member of staff is on the phone to IT, IT may well ask "have you made sure all your cables are plugged in correctly, then instruct the staff member to fiddle with the wires", whilst connected to the 240v mains. Whilst appreciating business requirements I am concerned with any staff member touching/adjusting a mains 240v cable, data cables may be a different issues which would require information from manufacturers/electrician. Does anyone currently or is looking into provide safe working procedures for IT and a process of instructions that IT would give out over the phone i.e. 1st and foremost 'before we start have /can you unplug your PC before we ask you to ensure the mains cables are secure and in place', then a process if they cannot access this plug i.e. contact the in house engineer to find the correct cable! Any help or advice would be apprieciated whilst I am researching this issue, can be contacted by e-mail below. Many thanks Darren Honeyford darren.honeyford@co-op.co.uk
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Posted By Geoff Burt
Whether is is desirable depends on your point of view but what's the risk?
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Posted By Arthur Hendry Paterson
Hello
Firstly the risk is electric shock.
Dead work in the norm when it comes to
any sort of voltage. Get the names of those
carrying out instructions to mess with live
mains and proscecute them under the HASAWA
1974.
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Posted By Geoff Burt
You don't think that might be a bit of an overreaction?
The interpretation of working live doesn't include plugging an insulated cable and plug in and out - sometimes common sense comes into it!
I'll rephrase the question just for you - is it a significant risk?
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Posted By Jane Blunt
I think I am with Geoff on this one. Sometimes mains cables get damaged, and this is one reason for the PAT test - a good visual check will pick up 95% of the faults. I have seen cables worn bare - in fact I picked a cable up once without realising that two of the wires had been scuffed into a bare condition, and since it was a 3 phase cable I was lucky not to meet my maker - I put it down and isolated it rather quickly! I now go around the lab using a plastic biro whenever I want to move something to one side!
I have also seen cables trapped under filing cabinets and nipped so that they have become dangerous.
However, where the cable enters the equipment it is unlikely to be damaged, and there are no less than two layers of insulation.
Jane
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Posted By Steve Sedgwick
I would expect an adult to be able to check the cable connections at the back of their PCs especially when they are under the instruction and supervision of an IT support person.
Now if the IT person asks someone to get a scewdriver and take the back off th PC to check live contacts then that would be something else.
Steve
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Posted By Nick Higginson
I would agree with the others here.
As long as the fixed electrical installation and the pc itself have been properly maintained/tested, then the company has discharged its duties.
Kind regards
Nick
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Posted By Robert M Edwards
Given the amount of litigation over electric shocks caused by damaged cables or other wiring issues I don't understand the reluctance to request an unplugging of the computer.
The employer cannot discharge his duty if he routinely does not request that all wiring and cabling checks are made after the machine is unplugged given the variables there are in wire health!
It sems such a small thing to do and of minimum effort I am suprised that all employers don't include it in the H&S policies to protect themselves and their employees.
We certainly include it as standard in our IT policies and also routinely examine wiring on H&S checks for our clients> Particularly when there has been a new furniture delivery or movement of desk formations - always an opportunity to trap or pinch flex and wire or have them so stetched as to be coming away from the PC connector and exposed.
We would be much happier to be thought of as OTT than see one person fried as a result of this easy H&S precaution.
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Posted By Andy Petrie
Aren't we going a little over the top here, you face much more risk of shock filling the kettle up than by fiddling with wires. Are you going to call an electician in every time you want a cup of tea?
In addition to this, we alll use 240v cables at home, and don't tell me you have never fiddled with the odd wire there to get something to work!
Let's not go safety mad, we risk missing the important things if we spend to much time on trivial risks.
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