Firms have been told they do not need to carry out "unnecessary" Portable Appliance Tests (PAT) on items like kettles and computers, the Government has said.
Employment Minister Chris Grayling, who highlighted revised Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on PAT rules at a meeting with business leaders, said reducing the frequency of PAT testing could save businesses £30m a year.
Under the Electricity at Work Regulations SI 1989/635, employers have to make sure that their electrical equipment is safe - but the HSE has stressed that the law does not say how this should be done, or how often.
Confusion about PAT Testing was flagged up in Professor Ragnar Lofstedt's independent report into health and safety legislation published last year. He said that while electricity posed a risk, with about 1,000 accidents reported at work each year, many businesses were having their kettles and microwaves tested annually "which is both costly and of questionable value" - and was not required under the law.
HSE chair Judith Hackitt said "low-risk companies" were "being misled over what the law requires when it comes to maintaining portable electrical appliances, and many are paying for testing that is not needed". Mr Grayling flagged up the revised guidance to businesses as evidence of "significant progress" by the Government in cutting red tape on businesses - something he said was necessary to bring down the cost of doing business in Britain.
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