A decision needs to be made whether it is viable to have a member of staff make these tests, or if an outside specialist needs to be brought in.

First it must be realised that any person may be regarded as "competent" provided suitable training ensures "possession of the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical experience considered appropriate for that person to assess the safety criteria for a particular situation."

In many organisations an opportunity exists to encompass this necessary activity within the job description of an existing employee. One immediate advantage of this would be that if necessary, equipment or appliances could be assessed immediately, without the need to call in an outside contractor. Equipment necessary is available from most electrical wholesalers and varies widely in cost and complexity.In practical terms however, to test your own equipment on site would need only a basic test set, and these are easy to use and generally do not need any interpretation of results as a simple pass/fail indication is used.

The picture above shows a typical test set which is adequate for most situations. These are available for a couple of hundred pounds, and these usually indicate pass/fail as well as actual voltage or current readings.