This site provides information about the reporting of incidents to the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002[1], as amended (ESQCR).
ESQCR duty holders have duties to report certain incidents that may involve the safety of those not employed by the duty holder (enforcement by HSE), major supply interruptions (enforced by Department of Energy and Climate Change) and domestic fatalities (enforced by Department for Business, Innovation and Skills).
All ESQCR incidents can be reported via HSE's website[2]. The website provides the details of telephone reporting; an online form[3] for the reporting of incidents; and guidance on what, how[4] and when[5] to report.
Fatal and serious injuries, fires, explosions and other events are reportable to HSE.
Domestic fatalities are reportable to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and major supply interruptions are reportable to Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Reporting by the online form covers the requirements of all three regulators, and notified events are automatically directed to the appropriate regulator.
Events that lead to the death or injury to an employee of a dutyholder covered by these regulations should be reported to HSE under the requirements of RIDDOR[6].
Domestic fatalities attributed to electrical equipment eg a fatality due to a person rewiring their house or with an appliance that has not been isolated from the supply must be reported to BIS. Other examples include electrocution including intentional acts, or form fires and explosions arising from or alleged to have arisen from a fault on the customer's equipment or wiring.
Dutyholders are only expected to report such incidents where they have knowledge of the occurrence of the event or the facts of the event.
Any fire, explosion or implosion where there is a significant risk of death or injury to members of the public must be reported. This would include events that breach or significantly damage any containment surrounding the electrical equipment or conductor eg:
- the explosion of electrical equipment such as an insulator that results in the scattering of debris
- explosion or fire in an underground link box
- a large substation fire
Events that have been caused by a fire of a third party (equipment or premises) and that results in damage to the duty holder's equipment are not reportable.
Any event which leads to an overhead line being below statutory height, eg a line brought down during a storm should be reported. Any event that gives rise to a significant risk of death must be notified.
Examples of events that involve significant risk of death include:
- lines below statutory height over roads
- lines below statutory height over commercial or domestic premises and associated surrounds (eg car park, school field)
- lines below statutory height where people are known to be present eg field used for an event or camping site when the activity is taking place
This requirement is targeted at interruptions of supply due to faults, accidents or other unplanned events. Duty holders need not report deliberate discontinuation of supplies carried out under Regulation 29 Discontinuation of supplies[8].
With the exception of the references to distributors and the minimum duration of interruption (now 3 minutes – paragraph 32(1)(a)[9]), dutyholders should note that this regulation is virtually unchanged from the equivalent regulation in the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988 as amended (regulation 35 Notification of supply failure)[10].
- Any single interruption of supply, to any demand of 20 megawatts or more at the time of the interruption, for a period of three minutes or longer.
- Any single interruption of supply, to any demand of 5 megawatts or more at the time of the interruption for a period of one hour or longer.
- Any single interruption of supply to 5,000 or more consumer's installations for a period of one hour or longer.
Examples of other events that should be reported to HSE include:
- any short circuit or overload which gives rise to damage such as that there is easy access to the electrical circuits or conductors for employees, members of the public or the emergency services
- any event that results in the death of one or more domestic pet(s) or any livestock (as this would indicate the existence of potential current flow sufficient to kill a person)
- any event in which the physical integrity or security of electrical line (eg generating plant, overhead lines, street pillars, link boxes, substation fences, walls and enclosures) is compromised such that live conductors are exposed permitting access by members of the public
- any contact with live conductors by persons, plant or equipment used by members of the public
- events where the failure of a PME neutral causes a rise in voltage above statutory limits
- discovery of reverse polarity on customer's premises or street furniture where the error is found to be located in connections under the control of a duty holder
- partial or complete collapse of structures including buildings and wind turbines
- unauthorised access to any high voltage equipment including substations
- theft or attempted theft of operational apparatus eg the removal of earth conductor from a pole or in a ground-mounted type substation. Note that the theft or attempted theft of plant (eg a cable drum) from a depot is not reportable.