Working with electricity

Do your employees work with electricity? You must adhere to the Working Conditions Act (Arbowet) and work according to NEN standared.

Working conditions for working with electricity

Working with electricity can be dangerous. You should take measures to ensure the lowest possible risks for your staff. The Working Conditions Act sets out general rules for working with electricity (in Dutch) and includes references to NEN standards.

Some of the rules for working with electricity are:

• Your employees must be trained and qualified;
• They must work safely, and use safety equipment;
• Employees working near a high voltage facility (more than 1000 Volts AC or 1500 Volts DC) must never work alone;
• While employees are working near or inside an electrical installation, the electricity must be disconnected/switched off;
• While employees are cleaning electrical equipment, they have to wear the right protection and use special cleaning materials. They must not work in places that are under voltage.

Specific working and installation regulations apply to high voltage (in Dutch) or for working situations where employees continually come into contact with conductors.

Standards for working with electricity

NEN has agreed a number of standards with various organisations in electrical engineering concerning:

• safety
• inspections (in Dutch)
• installation instructions (in Dutch)
• working instructions (in Dutch)

You should at all times comply with NEN standards.