Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988 (“the 1988 Regulations”), which require every supplier to give the Secretary of State notice in writing of certain events (including any event giving rise to a death, injury, fire or explosion), and additionally require notice of events giving rise to a death or serious injury to be given by telephone, telex or other immediate means of communication immediately the event becomes known to the supplier.

The 1988 Regulations are amended by these Regulations so as to require the notice to be given in the form of a computer disc in the case of most of the notifiable events. The computer disc must comply with the specifications contained in the publication entitled (under the heading “ELECTRICITY SUPPLY REGULATIONS 1988”) “COMPUTERISATION OF THE NOTIFICATION OF CERTAIN SPECIFIED EVENTS UNDER REGULATION 34”, subtitled “SPECIFICATION OF THE DATA FILES”, and published by the Department of Trade and Industry, 1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE, in December 1993, a copy of which has been certified as such by the signature of the Minister for Energy, Department of Trade and Industry.

In addition, the Regulations retain the requirement to give notice by telephone or other immediate means of communication of any event giving rise to a death or serious injury immediately after the event becomes known to the supplier. Certain events must also be notified in writing by the quickest practicable means as soon as possible after the event becomes known to the supplier. (Both the latter two requirements, however, may be complied with by a single telex or facsimile transmission.)

The Regulations also reduce the amount of information required to be notified.

A compliance cost assessment has been prepared, a copy of which has been placed in the library of each House of Parliament. Copies of the compliance cost assessment and of the publication referred to above can be obtained free of charge by postal application to the Department of Trade and Industry Palace Street Library, Room 2.LG.4, 1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE.