Legal norms
Electrical power industry is a complex field, work in which requires special knowledge and strict adherence to safety regulations. To ensure the safe use of electrical installations, a whole pool of regulations has been issued, including:
- Federal Law of March 26, 2003 No. 35-FZ “On Electric Power Industry”;
- Order of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation dated July 24, 2013 No. 328-N and the Rules for labor protection during the operation of electrical installations approved by it;
- Order of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation dated January 13, 2003 No. 6 and the Rules for the Technical Operation of Consumer Electrical Installations adopted by it, which regulates basic issues of energy safety of organizations and requirements for members of the electrical safety commission in particular.
Regulations
Permission to work on electrical equipment is the main purpose of certification. Work on complex installations is intended for those who have undergone appropriate training, knowledge testing and acquired skills.
Upon successful completion of the tests, a document is issued based on Order of the Ministry of Labor No. 328 (07/24/2013).
Differences between certificates depending on responsibilities and powers:
- For employees involved in commissioning and commissioning of equipment, maintenance and repair, the frequency of knowledge testing is one year.
- For employees who have the right to issue permits to perform hazardous work, the certification frequency is one year.
- For administrative and technical personnel - 3 years
New regulations were adopted this year:
- Order No. 74 of the Ministry of Labor (02/19/2016);
- the law on industrial safety was amended as amended by Federal Law -271 dated July 29, 2019;
- The main changes are planned to be outlined in the Federal Law No. 35 of March 26, 2003.
Changes and additions are aimed at covering as much as possible the personnel performing functions during the operation and operation of power equipment.
Reasons for creation
In accordance with the Rules approved by Order No. 6 of the Ministry of Energy, employees working on electrical installations are required to have the appropriate level of knowledge and competencies - this norm is enshrined in clause 1.4.3 of the Rules. The employer, in turn, is obliged to check these competencies, train employees if necessary, and determine, in particular, the composition of the qualification commission to test employees’ knowledge in the energy sector.
The level of qualifications of employees is classified using electrical safety groups: the first, minimal, is assigned to non-electrical personnel who, while working, are faced with the threat of electric shock. The fifth, maximum, is assigned to workers working with electrical installations with a power of over 1000 V.
The government body with the competence to test the knowledge of employees and assign each group to one or another is Rosenergonadzor (Rostekhnadzor), and employers have the right to send their employees there for certification. However, for large production enterprises with many employees who need certification for work, it is more convenient to test the knowledge of workers independently; for this, on the basis of clause 1.4.20 of the Rules for the Technical Operation of Electrical Installations, it is allowed to create a commission to test knowledge of electrical safety in organizations.
The team of inspectors consists of individuals who have received certification directly from Rosenergonadzor and are competent to evaluate the knowledge of colleagues. The inspectors develop a methodology for conducting the exam, and employees who have passed it and received a certificate of assignment to an electrical safety group do not need to have their knowledge tested by the Rostechnadzor commission to work for a given employer.
Composition of the commission on electrical safety at the enterprise
Authorized regulatory bodies, in particular Rospotrebnadzor, define clear rules that must be followed in order for the electrical safety commission to be recognized as legitimate.
Composition of the commission for testing knowledge on labor protection
In this case, you need to know the associated features.
Requirements for the commission for testing knowledge on electrical safety
Considering the composition of the commission for testing knowledge of electrical safety of electrical personnel, then, according to the Regulations, it includes:
- chairman - a hired worker who is responsible for electrical equipment on the territory of the enterprise;
- deputy chairman - in most cases, this deputy is responsible for the safe operation of electrical installations on the company’s territory;
- occupational safety engineer;
- 2 appointed specialists - can occupy any position in the enterprise, often from management.
Note! Each member of the commission must have a certificate confirming advanced training and the corresponding category (cannot be lower than the one that is planned to be assigned to the employee being examined).
During certification to confirm knowledge, the presence of at least 3 persons is allowed, including the chairman of the commission and his immediate deputy.
Formation of a commission at an enterprise
The Electrical Safety Commission is reviewed once a year and approved by the company management. All participants, without exception, must be appointed by name with mandatory indication of their position. The composition must be certified by the relevant issued Order.
Representatives can be elected at the sole discretion of the head of the organization - there are no strict requirements regarding professional level and assigned job responsibilities.
How many people should be on the committee?
In accordance with the established Regulations, in order to control the information awareness of electrical personnel, the management of the enterprise must ensure a minimum number of participants in the created commission of 5 people. It is possible to approve a large number at your discretion.
Note! It is possible to create several commissions of qualified specialists on the territory of one enterprise.
The norms of federal legislation provide for the possibility of expanding the number of commissions created to the number of existing structural divisions - for each of them there is one expert group.
Consequently, the legislation does not establish restrictions on the composition of the commission and its number in particular.
Requirements for the qualifications of the chairman and other members of the commission
The norms of federal legislation contain the conditions according to which the selection of a chairman with the available maximum level of qualifications in electrical safety is carried out, in particular:
- 4th - if there are electrical installations in production with a rated voltage of up to 1000 V;
- 5th - if there are electrical installations in production with a rated voltage of over 1000 V.
The chairman must fully meet the stated requirements
In most cases, a qualified specialist is appointed to the position in question, who is personally responsible for the operation of the electrical system.
Less stringent requirements are put forward for the remaining members of the commission - the assigned electrical safety group does not matter, its presence is sufficient.
Important! Representatives of Rostechnadzor may act as examiners.
If there is a shortage of qualified specialists in the existing staff of hired employees, the chairman, together with several personal assistants, who took a certification exam at the regional office of Rostechnadzor, can personally begin testing employees for knowledge of PTEEP. Group assignment is based on exam results.
When it is created in an enterprise
The frequency of creation coincides with the frequency of inspections. There are checks:
- primary - when an employee is hired who does not have certification and has not previously worked with electrical installations, or has had a long break in work;
- periodic - to confirm the level of knowledge - once a year, for administrative personnel - once every 3 years;
- extraordinary, caused by special circumstances, for example, if the company received a new electrical installation.
Who needs such a document
It certifies the knowledge and readiness of an employee to work with electrical installations; it is necessary for personnel who have a certain access group and work with such installations. There are 5 admission groups. The first is assigned to non-electrical employees who work with equipment after undergoing training. These categories include accountants, human resources workers, secretaries, etc. The fifth group is assigned to those who work with installations with voltages over 1000 V.
Representatives of the first group do not need to document their knowledge and readiness to work. Certificates are received by electrical engineering personnel and occupational safety specialists who monitor such installations at the enterprise. This is also indicated by the rules for filling out a new type of electrical safety certificate from Order of the Ministry of Labor No. 328n dated July 24, 2013, as amended. order No. 74n dated February 19, 2016.
Who's coming in
Clauses 1.4.30 and 1.4.31 of the Rules approved by Order No. 6 establish:
- how many people are on the electrical safety commission - five;
- the entire commission is required to undergo certification by Rostechnadzor. In some cases, on-site certification of members of the inspection group is allowed, but no more than two and provided that the chairman is certified by Rostechnadzor;
- the chairman has an electrical safety group of no lower than fourth if the organization uses power plants with a capacity of up to 1000 V, and no lower than fifth if over 1000 V;
- A PTEEP commission of three certified people is authorized - in this composition it has the right to take an exam on knowledge of power installations and assign an electrical safety group on its basis - the presence of the full composition is not required.
Who has the right to conduct
Assignment of group 1 in electrical safety is carried out by order of the head of the institution. It defines:
- the employee responsible for conducting the training;
- frequency of training;
- person exercising control.
A person from among the electrical engineering personnel who has group 3 or more can conduct instructions and assign group 1 in electrical safety.
If there are no such people in the institution, then the manager can order to send any employee to training in a special center. Having received group 3 in electrical safety, such an employee can conduct regular safety courses, including electrical ones.
Useful video on the topic:
Process of creation
Step-by-step instructions on how to create an electrical safety commission at an enterprise are as follows.
Step 1
Select five employees, train them and send them for certification to Rostekhnadzor to receive an electrical safety group. The rules do not establish strict requirements for what positions members of the commission should hold; it is only noted that the chairman is usually appointed to be responsible for the company’s electrical facilities; the main requirement for the remaining members of the commission, the observance of which is necessary to become a member of it, is to pass certification.
Step 2
Issue an order to create a group of inspectors, familiarize it with the signature of each member.
Sample order on creating a team of inspectors
Step 3
Prepare the materials and documents necessary for the examination: exam papers, a journal in which the examination results of each employee are entered, certificate forms that the inspectors will issue to all those who passed the exam. The certificates indicate the group assigned based on the results of the knowledge test; the employee always carries the certificate with him while performing his duties.
Sample order for appointing a commission to test knowledge of electrical safety
The order must include:
- Its name, name of the organization, place and date of drawing up the document.
- Justification, i.e. the actual reason for its creation (here it is compliance with the rules for operating electrical installations and labor protection).
- After the word “I order”, the actual order on the appointment of the commission is written, and its composition is indicated, highlighting the chairman and ordinary members, and a requirement is also made for the employees of the enterprise to familiarize themselves with the document.
- The person responsible for executing the order is listed below.
If necessary, you can supplement the form with other information. Finally, the order is signed by the head of the organization, as well as the employee responsible for its execution, and all members of the commission.
Pros and cons of creating a commission
The ability to organize your own groups of inspectors has both pros and cons. The advantage is that the company has its own certification body, does not depend on Rostechnadzor, does not adapt to its certification schedule, does not spend money on organizing training and examinations for the majority of employees, and has the opportunity to conduct an extraordinary certification at any time. Minuses:
- Rostechnadzor has the right to interfere in the activities of inspectors, therefore it cannot be considered completely independent, so, in accordance with clause 1.4.36, representatives of the regulatory body have the right to take part in the work of the commission according to their decision;
- not every organization can create an internal commission on electrical safety at the enterprise - a certain number of staff is required;
- member training is a company expense.
Instruction program
There are no standard electrical safety programs. However, there are informational requirements. The program must contain the following sections:
- General requirements for electrical safety. In this case, issues related to the consequences and causes of a short circuit, faulty or lack of grounding, or touching live wires are considered.
- Safety of operations with electrical appliances. For people studying under the program for group 1, it is enough to master simple algorithms. Every day a person should check the condition of the plug and socket. The position of the cables must be checked regularly. They should not come into contact with a damp environment or be near objects with elevated temperatures. All employees must know where to go if a malfunction is detected and be able to use fire extinguishing equipment.
- The effect of electricity on the human body. Students must learn the symptoms of electric shock and the algorithm of actions for providing first aid. When assessing the situation associated with the impact of electric current on a person, it is necessary to take into account such phenomena as the spreading of electrical voltage along the ground, since in this case the life of the victim depends on compliance with specific rules.
Procedure for certification by employees
For timely certification and recertification of employees who must service electrical equipment and electrical installations during work, a certification schedule is drawn up, which is approved by the head of the enterprise. According to this schedule, knowledge testing is carried out.
Frequency of testing knowledge on electrical safety
During certification, the inspection may be carried out by a commission that is not in full composition. The presence of the chairman or deputy chairman at the examination is mandatory. Also, at least two examiners must take the exam together with the chairman.
Attention! The level of electrical safety knowledge is tested for each employee individually.
The amount of information the knowledge of which is tested during the exam is determined by the head of the enterprise. Questions are selected taking into account the job responsibilities of the person being certified, as well as the nature of the work he performs in production. During the exam, knowledge of the regulatory documentation that the employee must use during the performance of his official duties is necessarily tested.
The examinee must know the rules for the technical operation of electrical installations (according to his approval group), documents on electrical, fire and fire safety rules, as well as regulatory and operational documentation that is in force at the enterprise. In addition, he must be able to provide first aid in case of electric shock to a person.
If an applicant passes the exam for category 5 of admission, then he must have knowledge about the design of electrical installations with which he must work, know the rules of their operation, as well as be able to use protective equipment and know the rules for checking the functionality of protective equipment.
The knowledge test can be taken in the traditional form. In this case, the examinee selects an exam ticket, then he is given time to prepare for the answer, and after that the employee answers the questions that are on the ticket. The commission assigns a grade for the correctness and completeness of the answer. It is also allowed to use electronic computers as an examiner. In this case, the exam is conducted in test form. After answering the last question, the computer program automatically assigns a grade. However, according to the Rules, it is prohibited to use a computer in the case of an initial knowledge test.
There are quite a large number of servers on the Internet with test materials intended for preparation for passing the future exam, as well as for conducting the exam itself.
Based on the result of passing the exam, the commission makes a decision on the employee’s compliance with one or another electrical safety group. If the exam is passed with a positive mark, then employees are issued an appropriate certificate.
Electrical safety certificate
The exam results for each employee must be recorded in a specialized journal, indicating the grade that the examinee received, the date of passing the exam and the admission group received. The recording is certified by all members of the commission.
If the exam is conducted using a computer, then information about the test results must also be recorded in the journal.
If a computer test program gives an unsatisfactory grade, the test taker has the right to challenge it. In this case, the examinee proves the level of his knowledge by answering the examiners’ questions. At the end of the interview, the final grade is entered into the journal.
Recording the certification result in a journal
Thus, a properly selected staff of the certification group will allow you to quickly and efficiently test workers’ knowledge on issues related to safe work with electrical equipment. This will prevent the admission of untrained personnel to work that involves electric shock to a person.
