Live electrical work risk assessment template

The first question is whether the work can be done dead. Live electrical work is exceptional because an error may cause shock, burns, arc flash, fire or a fall. This template helps a competent electrical team record why work on or near a live conductor is proposed, whether the legal conditions are met, what alternatives were considered and which precautions are required. A completed form is not a permit, a safe-isolation procedure or permission for an unqualified person to touch live equipment.

In Great Britain, regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 allows work on or so near a live conductor that danger may arise only where all three conditions are satisfied: it is unreasonable in all the circumstances for the conductor to be dead; it is reasonable for the person to work on or near it while live; and suitable precautions are taken to prevent injury. HSE says work dead is always preferable when danger may otherwise arise. Economic convenience or a tight programme does not by itself settle the decision. If the circumstances do not satisfy the conditions, isolate and prove dead before proceeding, or do not do the work.

This worksheet is for planning by competent persons in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has separate law and must be checked separately. The electrical system, voltage, prospective fault energy, network, location and task determine the controls. The page cannot prescribe safe approach distances, PPE ratings or switching steps for a specific installation.

Separate three different questions

First, is it necessary for the equipment to remain energised for this task? Some testing and fault finding genuinely require a live condition for a limited part of the operation. Many installation, alteration, repair and maintenance activities can be planned dead. HSE's electrical FAQ says there are few circumstances where live work is necessary and it should only follow a determination that doing the work dead is unreasonable.

Second, is it reasonable for these people to do this specific task live in these circumstances? Consider the equipment's condition, exposed live parts, fault level, access, space, light, dampness, conductive surroundings, nearby people and the consequences of an error. Competence is task-specific. A qualified electrician is not automatically competent for all voltages, switchgear, network operations or arc-flash environments. If the evidence is missing, stop and obtain it.

Third, can suitable precautions prevent injury? The assessment should identify engineering and procedural controls, barriers and exclusion, correct test equipment, supervision, emergency arrangements and task-specific protective equipment. HSE's safe-working guidance explains that live work can only be justified after the first two questions and when suitable precautions are in place. PPE is a last line in a system of controls, not the reason to approve live work.

The approval decision should be separate from the person performing the work where the organisation's rules require it. Record any permit or switching authority reference, but do not imply a permit overrides regulation 14. The site electrical rules and network operator's procedures take precedence over a generic web template.

Before the team starts

Identify the installation and task precisely: drawings, circuit identity, voltage, source of supply, stored energy, backfeeds, interlocks and neighbouring equipment. Confirm which parts must remain live and which can be isolated. For a testing task, plan the minimum live exposure and how the equipment will be returned to a safe state. A switch being off is not proof that a conductor is dead; the competent team must use an approved isolation and proving process suited to the system. HSE's isolation FAQ notes that all energy sources should be securely isolated and stored energy released where work dead is intended.

Inspect the condition of the equipment and test instruments. HSE GS38 addresses the selection and use of low-voltage test equipment. A damaged lead, unsuitable probe or instrument with the wrong rating can defeat otherwise good controls. The supervisor must confirm the chosen tools, barriers, insulation and protective equipment are appropriate to the actual fault and environment. Never insert a blanket “use insulated tools and gloves” as if that alone proves the risk acceptable.

Set a controlled work area and keep others clear. Consider exposed busbars, adjacent circuits, moving machinery, wet surfaces, metal structures, cramped access and work at height. Where another person is needed for supervision, rescue or communication, record that role and competence. Agree how the work stops if the person loses sight, an unexpected conductor is found, the equipment condition differs from drawings or a protective barrier cannot be maintained.

Emergency arrangements should be realistic. Identify how to disconnect the supply quickly, contact emergency services, provide first aid and reach the work area without exposing rescuers. Do not propose that a colleague grab a person in contact with a live conductor. Rescue planning should be reviewed with competent personnel familiar with the site and voltage system.

Copy-and-complete decision worksheet

This is an assessment prompt. Do not fill critical unknowns with generic text. Attach the organisation's electrical rules, diagrams, switching schedule, permit and specialist calculations when required.

Decision: mark one of WORK DEAD, LIVE WORK JUSTIFIED BY COMPETENT APPROVER, or HOLD — INFORMATION/CONTROLS INSUFFICIENT. Record the reasoning under each of regulation 14's three conditions separately. A box ticked “live work required” is inadequate. Include the date, approval scope and expiry or revalidation trigger under the organisation's rules. If a step can be performed dead, plan it dead even if a later diagnostic step must be live.

Briefing: the team should agree the boundary between live and dead work, identify the exact exposed parts, repeat the stop signal, know who authorises any change and understand the emergency isolation route. Record the briefing, but do not treat signatures as evidence that the method itself is safe. Remove obsolete versions from the work area.

Example: diagnostic testing in a distribution board

An engineer is asked to investigate an intermittent fault. The request does not automatically authorise opening a live board. The engineer and responsible person first consider whether the fault can be diagnosed from recorded data, remote measurements or a planned shutdown. If a limited live measurement is still necessary, they identify the board and circuit, verify the installation information, assess the equipment condition and fault energy, choose suitable test equipment and controls, restrict access and approve the exact measurement only. The team isolates for any later repair. If the board is damaged, the drawing is wrong or a safe test position cannot be established, the live diagnostic task is stopped and the plan revisited.

This example illustrates the decision process; it does not prescribe a method for a particular board. High-voltage, utility, rail, hazardous-area and specialist industrial systems require their own competent rules and expertise.

Source, links and writer-side QA

Intent/cannibalisation: this is an exceptional live-work decision worksheet, not a general electrical RAMS, electrical test procedure or permit-to-work page. No exact indexed Complys live-work risk-assessment template owner was found on the observed hosts on 5 October 2026. Repository and in-flight owner review remains mandatory. Product truth: no Complys live permit, safe isolation or automated approval feature is claimed; the existing permit-to-work product page requires implementation verification before linkage. Internal links: link the existing broad electrical safety/RAMS owner only if its actual route is confirmed, plus HSE primary guidance; avoid a CTA that suggests software can authorise live work. CTA: keep the approved decision with the work records and competent person's authorisation using the organisation's verified process. Writer-side QA: primary-source legal test, form utility, GB jurisdiction and product limits checked. Specialist electrical safety/legal and independent product/canonical QA are publication gates.