Understanding the ENA Safety Rules and How They Could Apply to You

Are your Engineers receiving updates on the inherent dangers or changes to the high voltage system, up to 33kV on your site?

If you’re an AP/SAP working to the ENA Safety Rules (SHE Standard 07 Model Distribution Safety Rules), then the answer to this should be, yes.

Whether you are employed by a DNO or an IDNO, there are a number of key safety considerations that are helpfully outlined in the ENA guidance documentation that you should be aware of.

The Roles of Authorised and Senior Authorised Person

Authorised Person can be defined as:

(ii) AUTHORISED PERSON
A Competent Person over 18 years of age who has been appointed in writing by the Electricity Company to carry out specified duties which may include authority to issue and cancel Limitations-of-Access and/or to receive Sanctions-for-Test.

ENA SHE Standard 07 - MDSRs

A Senior Authorised Person can be defined as:

(iii) SENIOR AUTHORISED PERSON
An Authorised Person who has been appointed in writing by the Electricity Company to carry out specified duties, including the issue and cancellation of Safety Documents.

ENA SHE Standard 07 - MDSRs

So, with the roles and duties outlined above, how does an AP/SAP ensure that they retain their positions, and maintain safe working practices?

Training should form part of the answer.

Training Requirements for DNOs and IDNOs

The ENA Safety Rules also state in section 1.3:

“(vi) that employees are provided with adequate health and safety training and re-training.”

But what makes training adequate?

If you are an engineer employed by an electricity company, either directly or through a third party, your role may require you to operate Transmission and/ or Distribution Systems.

You will be expected (as per section 1.2) to perform your duties to the written letter of documented and agreed upon safety procedures.

For example, the documentation must record activities accurately relating to the agreed upon Safe System of Work, but may also include adherence to local rules.

More and More Choose PPL Training

We have well over a decade of experience and success stories. We have held close to 2,000 course events for key roles within the Safe System of Work for Mechanical and Electrical disciplines.

In particular, our HV/LV Electrical Systems courses have grown in popularity year on year.

Annually, we host over 3,200 HV/LV Engineers and Technicians in our York, Slough and Livingston training centres. With additional capacity to train 100's more delegates on-site where facilities permit.

AP Training in Multiple Disciplines

What do those procedures translate to?

Having a robust Safe System of Work in place, communicated with your Control Engineer by the Authorised Person / Senior Authorised Person will likely include such documents / communications as:

• Limitations of Access
• Records of Switching
• Switching Schedules
• Single Line Diagrams (SLDs)
• Permit-to-Work
• Sanctions-for-Test
• Record of Messages (by approved means)

Knowing when to utilise these tools for safe procedure is key to mitigating risk, maintaining good communication and ultimately improving the safety of all who work on high voltage systems within Distribution Networks.

So, is it time that you attended retraining? 

Or are you looking for a new provider of DNO style HV Safe Systems of Work training?

AP/SAP High Voltage - DNO and IDNO Sectors ENA Safety Rules

Our City & Guilds Assured course known as the APHV5, applies our decades worth of experience delivering Electrical Safe Systems of Work training courses to the High Voltage Distribution space. 

Across this 5 day course you can expect to cover not only the ENA Safety Rules, but also other ACOPs such as BS6626 and HSG230.

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Alternatively, if you would like to speak to a member of our team about our available training courses, please call 0333 121 1215 or email info@ppltraining.co.uk.

Glossary

AP = Authorised Person

SAP = Senior Authorised Person

ENA = Energy Networks Association

DNO = Distribution Network Operator

IDNO = Independent Distribution Network Operator

MDSRs = Model Distribution Safety Rules