Works in the public domain must be compliant with Construction, Design and Management (CDM) regulations. This document places the responsibility and a legal duty on the person organising or project managing these works for ensuring the right people are engaged on the various aspects of the work.
You will need to have evidence that the person carrying out the work is competent to use equipment required to install, maintain and remove the attachment, whether or not access to equipment inside the lighting column is needed.
Competency requirements will differ, dependant on the type of attachment, but for any attachment not requiring an electrical supply the minimum personnel competency requirements would be:
- manual handling
- emergency aid in the workplace for appointed persons
- traffic management in accordance with NRWSA
- either ladder training or Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP), as appropriate to the risk assessment and method statement (MEWP’s is preferable, as this is much safer)
For any works requiring an electrical supply the minimum competency requirements are the above, plus the following:
- City & Guilds 2382 17 edition
- G39 Level 1
- Electro technical Certification Scheme (ECS) Health and Safety Assessment
- NICEIC registration for street lighting
It is recommended that a contractor registered under the Highways Electrical Registration Scheme (HERS), which is a requirement of the National Highways Sector Scheme 8 (NHSS8), is appointed to carry out the work. Contractors registered will have obtained the appropriate competencies to carry out works on street lighting.
A list of all registered organisations can be viewed at the Highway Electrical Association website.
You will need to have evidence that Portable Appliance (PAT) testing, and also Electrical Inspection and Testing in accordance with BS7671, has been carried out for each attachment requiring an electrical supply.
Electrical connections made by removing the column access door or by drilling holes in the column door are not acceptable.