Technical Bulletin 118 (TB118) from the Gas Safe Register - updated on 30th January 2018 - sets out the steps that should be taken by gas engineers to properly isolate appliances that use an electrical supply. This includes the majority of appliances in domestic and commercial environments. Safe electrical isolation is vital to ensuring that engineers do not receive a potentially dangerous electric shock, which can cause anything from mild discomfort to death.

The NICEIC and ELECSA have teamed up to launch a campaign that will encourage men to ditch the DIY when it comes to electricity and call in an expert. Every year, 12,500 house fires, 750 serious injuries, and 10 deaths are caused by unsafe electrics in domestic environments, often first installed by DIYers or inexpert handymen. The charity Electrical Safety First suggests that nearly half of all severe electrical shocks are caused by unsafe DIY. Such clear dangers have prompted the NICEIC to launch a campaign to ‘Ban the Bravado’ so that British men call in professionals to carry out vital electrical work, ensuring safety in domestic electrical systems.

When properly specified, socket testers provide a fast and effective solution to identify potentially unsafe installations and wiring faults. They can be particularly useful as a service tool for identifying potentially unsafe conditions prior to installing new plant and equipment. Socket testers are not an alternative to the full verification of wiring installations, however they are an essential tool for all maintenance teams as a first line indicator.

You work as a designer for a manufacturer of multifunction electrical test meters. For the last few years you've made meters which provide a standalone solution to most of the testing requirements of the 17th Edition of BS7671. Your meters are robust, reliable and easy to use. But you need to sell more meters. So what do you do to differentiate your new products from the rest of the fold?

Here at Test-Meter, we are hosting a free Seaward PAT training workshop at our Calibration House premises on Friday 11th May 2018. The course, starting at 09:00, will feature a first look at the Seaward Apollo+ range and goes through how the latest PAT technology can enhance your business.

Annual calibration of test and measurement equipment is recommended by the vast majority of manufacturers and it may also be appropriate to carry out more frequent calibration should test results start to fluctuate. However, the processes behind loss of accuracy are often little understood and they are influenced by a wide array of factors. This article aims to explain the influences behind variations in accuracy and clarify the actual calibration process your tester will undergo when it comes to our laboratory.

Test-Meter.co.uk is pleased to announce a huge extension of its hire range, most notably across the high voltage, process calibration and area network testing sectors. Building on our extensive thermal camera, MFT and PAT testing options, we will now hire out a wide variety of extremely powerful, specialist equipment for cable testing, relay testing, temperature calibration and much more.

Chauvin Arnoux Qualistar Power Quality Analysers are now available with free power quality clamps and data analysis software from Test-Meter. The range - consisting of the Chauvin Arnoux CA8331, CA8333, CA8336 and CA8435 - includes both three- and four-channel instruments and each model provides sophisticated analysis that allows the user to map consumption, detect faults and improve efficiency.

The 18th Edition of the BS7671 Wiring Regulations has been finalised by the IET and will be issued on 2nd July 2018. It is set to supersede the previous 17th edition on 1st January 2019 and contains multiple changes, although not all of these are pertinent to test and measurement.

A foolproof, repeatable locking out process is vital to the safety of electricians so it is always important to have the necessary equipment to safely and securely isolate electrical circuits. Martindale manufacture a range of locks, tags, proving units and voltage testers which can check that a circuit is dead and prevent a third party from re-energising the conductor. These useful instruments are available in a range of kits and as individual items.