Ideal Industries, the global leader in electrical accessories, tools and equipment, has launched a Student Safe Isolation Kit, designed especially for trainee electricians.
The move follows a knowledge sharing programme that has seen Ideal Industries engage with further education providers to contribute training and equipment. It was clear that, although students are being taught safe isolation best practice, they are often not being provided with safe isolation equipment on site and find professional kits cost-prohibitive.
Brett Smyth, General Manager of Ideal Industries UK and EMEA explains: “Poor safety behaviours around isolations is a real problem in the electrical industry, with only one in five electricians carrying a safe isolation kit in their tool bag.
“We want to help address that by embedding safety best practice in the next generation of electricians coming through to site-based roles and we have been working with training providers to look at how we can help drive a cultural shift. Designing a Safe Isolation Kit that has everything a trainee electrician needs and ensuring it’s available at an accessible price is a significant milestone in this regard.”
The new Student Safe Isolation Kit from Ideal Industries includes a Vol-Con® Digital Voltage Tester, which tests for both AC and DV voltage. It provides a visual and audible alert for continuity and non-contact voltage and features low impedance to eliminate ghost voltages. Costing £58, the kit also include a medium circuit breaker lock out kit, a universal MCB lockout device, a safety padlock, re-usable lockout tags and a marker pen, all contained in a handy pouch.
The launch of the new kit has been welcomed by training providers, including Steve Willis Training Centres, which has been running a social media campaign to encourage safe isolations and working with Ideal Industries. Adrian Davey, trainer at Steve Willis Training Centres, comments: “Having run my own electrical installation company, I know just how often the network can inadvertently be switched back to live, which is a significant danger, no matter how experienced the team might be.
“The only way to protect operatives on site is to test for residual current, lock out and tag the isolation, and it’s important that anyone training in the electrical sector prioritises those good habits. Making a safe isolation kit specifically designed for and accessible to students is a very positive step in this process.”
