Safe-Tea Break: Electricity and Electrical Equipment - A Shocking Truth
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Electricity and Electrical Equipment – A Shocking Truth
A small number of you reading this may remember when some ‘blessed’ individual actually had to pump the bellows by hand to get the church organ to make any sound on a Sunday morning. Thankfully however, some ‘bright sparks’ discovered and harnessed the power of electricity and the rest as they say is history.
Our creativeness did not end there though and whilst the church probably wouldn’t be at the top of most peoples’ list of ‘early adopters’, many of our congregations now have a wide range of electrically operated equipment that has transformed the way we do worship and mission. (Hands up if your church now uses a commercial coffee machine). But with all this electricity around us it’s easy to forget its inherent dangers.
There is a clear requirement in WHS legislation for us to manage the risks posed by electricity usage and the safety of both the electrical installation and the electrical equipment we use should be known and not assumed. Whilst it is appropriate for competent persons within a congregation to undertake simple visual or general operation checks, it’s important to ensure you engage the appropriate electrical contractors to carry our more formal testing regularly.
Whether it’s electrical equipment test and tagging, checking the safety of your ageing wiring, installing RCD’s, testing emergency lighting or you’d just like another socket putting in, please don’t let managing this area of safety lapse. An electrician friend once offered me these words of wisdom - ‘The shock of getting it wrong would far outweigh the shock of getting my bill!’
If you would like to discuss this or any other WHS related matters, church council members are encouraged to ring 1300 766 956 or email Wayne Booth, WHS Coordinator Turn on Javascript!
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