COC for an electric stove

[ians]

How many electricians here issue a COC when they connect a stove to an existing stove isolator?

[bergie]

no, and i have never been asked to supply a coc for a stove connection.

[ians]

However it does clearly state on the documentation provided with the appliance that the connection must be done by a certified electrician.

I am busy with a job a the moment where a landlord has indicated to a tenant that he cannot use the stove he connected himself until the connection is checked by an electrician. and a " a piece of paper" indicating that it has been checked is provided.

[AndyD]

We occasionally get requested to inspect and supply a 'Safety Certificate' for a piece of machinery or production equipment. It's not a legislative requirement it's often just for their own internal safety requirements. We have a 'certificate' we just adapt according to the case in hand where we fill in the relevant standards it meets and sign it to say it's deemed safe according to those standards. A word of warning though, it's a good idea to check your professional or trade insurance is happy to cover you for this.

[Sparks]

This heading only just caught my eye. Did this landlord ever ask the plumbers doing geyser replacements to certify their geyser connections? It is, after all, specified by the manufacturers in their installation guide that the electrical connections be done by a suitably qualified(accredited) electrician.

[Daniele]

Hi Andy

Would this refer similar to what we called PAT testing in the UK?

[AndyD]

The type of machinery we test is commercial and industrial production and process machinery and the testing is fairly extensive and customised to that particular machine. PAT testing that you have in the UK is mostly aimed at general domestic type appliances or items with a 13A plug on them (extension leads etc) that are in rented accomodation or in workplaces. PAT testing seems to me to be an exercise in mass stickering in HMO's and offices after a quick 'Go/No-Go' test. The one time I witnessed it being performed the guy and his PAT tester managed to test at least 25 items in an hour and plaster everything with stickers with a date on them to make sure he got repeat business six months later

[SeanM]

Greetings All

The COC stops at the point of connection (isolator for stove) so never issued a COC as fixed appliances don't form part of the COC.

[GCE]

Hi

I thought it may be relevant to paste a question and answer received back from the DOL , Deputy Director - It is relevant to all fixed appliances. The question was created due to the standard argument over machinery in factories - The question pops up on a regular basis
I don't think there is a contractor in this country that has not spent time having the discussion with clients as to the responsibility over fixed appliances and machinery installations on new or existing installations.


Question
Hi

Further to the telephonic discussion .

I had another call querying the COC in a factory and the Health and Safety officer in the factory insisting that the electrical contractor issue a COC for the Machine , similar to the previous enquiry with a bottling machine.

We all quote the electrical regulation about the COC stopping at the terminals of the machine.

We need to know what the factory owner needs to do to cover himself to ensure that if somebody gets hurt on the machine he can show that he has complied .At the moment besides saying you need to comply to General Machinery Regulations he is still wanting a piece of paper that covers him.

The other problem is that when these machines come in from outside of the country – Can the factory owner accept the certificates made out under the IEC codes.

This is a problem that is coming up frequently and it would be useful if we could obtain some sort of practice note or guidance from DOL.

Thanks


Answer back from DOL

Dear Sir,

The electrical installation stops at the supply terminals of the machine. In the case of a unit for a specific purpose, the electrical installation will stop at the the supply terminals for that unit.

The competent person in terms of the General Machinery Regulations must take responsibility for the machine. In some cases, we do have specific reuirements for machines, such as lifts, escalators, refrigeration plants, etc. where such machinery must comply with specific standards.

I think, your member understands the regulations very well. People like to shift their responsibilities to other people. The employer must do a risk assessment in terms of section 8 when they are using machinery, so must the manufacturer and importer in terms of section 10

[Darking]

Hi Andy the sticker jockey you watched was slow by comparison. I know of guys who issued over 1000 stickers in a month.
The Code of Practice in the UK requires visual inspection of the equipment, cord and plug to be performed.

Then the plug should be opened and the rating of the fuse confirmed, along with checking the polarity and tightness of each conductor and the clamp

When you have closed the plug you can begin to check the continuity of the earth connection and measure the continuity of the live conductors with the appliance unplugged and switched on. Now you test the insulation between all the conductors at 500 Volts.

Record your results either on paper or digitally. The Cop applies to ALL electrical equipment fixed, movable, portable and handheld.

This is the short version for a fuller explanation and demonstration there are excellent videos on PAT testing on YouTube

[Darking]

Sorry that should read 1000 appliances in a WEEK!