Electrical Contracting News (ECN) May 2017 | Page 32

FEATURE
BS76671 COMPLIANCE
CLEAR AND COMPLIANT
Ioana Nitu, product manager at Brother UK, gives her top labelling tips to ensure compliance with BS7671.
C
orrect labelling can
help avoid accidental
breaches of policies
and regulations as
well as serious safety
issues, so it’s important
to get it right.
Not only will
clear labels help make things simpler
and safer for customers and fellow
contractors, it could also impact your
reputation in the long run – so, it’s not
something to be overlooked.
Make sure you take
the size of your
label into account as
even the slightest
variation could affect
whether or not it
is compliant with
regulations.
Tip 1: Long lasting labels
Our research found that almost half of
electricians still use handwritten labels
to label their equipment and installations,
despite BS7671 regulations stating that
they should be made from ‘durable
material…likely to remain easily legible
throughout the life of the installation’.
Handwritten labels are susceptible to
temperature changes and extreme weather
conditions which can seriously impact
legibility and adhesion over time. Make
sure you invest in a sturdy label printer that
produces hardwearing labels suitable for
both interior and exterior projects – you
want them to be able to withstand all types
of environments.
Did you know?
• Ninety per cent of electricians have witnessed bad
labelling at work (NICEIC Tech Talks, 2016).
• Almost half of electricians and contractors label their work
using handwritten labels.
32 | May 2017
Tip 2: A compliant size Tip 3: The right symbols
It may seem a small consideration, but
make sure you take the size of your label
into account as even the slightest variation
could affect whether or not it is compliant
with regulations.
Warning notice, periodic inspection and
testing labels all have to be a particular
size to meet current regulations so swat up
on the latest size requirements and make
sure a matter of millimeters doesn’t impact
your compliance. Using the correct symbols is essential to
ensuring you remain compliant, and as
the complexity of modern installations
increases, so has the number of symbols,
signs and notices required. A good quality
label printer will equip you with a number
of ready to use, built-in templates making
the task simpler and easier.
Have a read over Chapter 13 of
the BS7671 regulations – it’s a great
starting point as it clearly maps out the