‘Knowing and applying’ electrical safety procedures: Research highlights concerning trends in the UK trade
Posted by: user_amy 20th October 2026
New industry research from test equipment specialists Martindale Electric reveals that only 55% of electrical professionals always follow the safe isolation procedure in full before starting work – despite 86% saying they are very familiar with it and 86% being extremely or very confident they know every step.
This is a concerning statistic, given that safe isolation is the acknowledged cornerstone of electrical safety, and a rigorous process, yet electrical professionals are not always following the procedure in full.
The findings, based on a survey sent to tens of thousands of electrical contracting professionals, were gathered to better understand real-world experiences of electrical safety, near misses and incident reporting across the industry every day.
That gap between knowledge/confidence and actual behaviour on site was particularly highlighted in the hundreds of comments made by those surveyed. Four clear themes emerged:
- Time and client pressure – including expectations to keep circuits energised, avoid disruption and complete jobs quickly.
- Overconfidence and complacency – people assuming circuits are dead, believing they’re in control of the environment, or feeling the full process isn’t necessary every time.
- Operational constraints – such as other trades needing power, essential systems that can’t easily be interrupted, poor circuit identification and the requirements of fault-finding.
- Equipment, training and support – respondents highlighted the need for readily available lock-off/testing equipment, refresher training, sufficient time and backing from employers and clients.
“This discrepancy between knowing the safe isolation procedure and following it every time is where accidents happen,” says Steve Dunning, Managing Director of Martindale Electric. “Implemented properly and consistently, safe isolation prevents injury and saves lives; however, done poorly it can expose individuals and organisations to serious risk. We all have to work smarter and safer by ensuring it is carried out correctly, consistently, and in line with the Electricity at Work Regulations.”
Fraser Herd, Chair of the Electrical Safety Roundtable (ESR) Workplace Group adds: “This important research highlights a concerning gap between awareness and consistent practice, so ESR supports Martindale’s focus on understanding the barriers that prevent this essential safety process from being followed every time. Safety must always be a priority when any electrical work is undertaken. We encourage workplace professionals to use these findings as a resource to further strengthen their knowledge of the safe isolation procedure.”
Martindale has a host of helpful materials on its website, including a dedicated safe isolation checklist that covers off everything that’s needed for the procedure – identification of supply; isolation devices, lock-off and tagging; voltage indicator compliance; proven unit/known source; testing for dead; competence and training; equipment condition and calibration, documents and records, plus monitoring and review.
The Martindale Electrical Safety in the Workplace Survey 2026 was conducted between June and July 2026 to gather original insight from professionals who work with or around electricity. More than 100,000 electrical professionals were invited to participate in the survey.
For more detailed information relating to this research, visit: https://martindale-electric.co.uk/knowing-and-applying-safe-isolation-procedures-what-is-preventing-consistent-application/
