Section 12: Working near electrical lines, pipes and installations.

The employer may not carry out the work until the electrical installation has been de-energised, unless the operator has made it known in writing that he is unable to de-energise the installation for a reason which he considers to be imperative. In the latter case, the employer shall comply with the requirements of paragraph 4.

Where it has been agreed to de-energise the line, pipe or electrical installation, whether underground or not, the employer shall ask the operator to de-energise the line, pipe or electrical installation. After obtaining the operator’s written agreement, the employer shall set the dates on which the work may be carried out and the starting and finishing times for each day. These instructions, which are useful for organising the work, do…

Work cannot begin until the employer is in possession of the de-energisation certificate, written, dated and signed by the operator.

When work has stopped, whether it has been interrupted or completed, the employer ensures that the workers have evacuated the site or no longer run any risk. He then draws up and signs the notice of cessation of work, which he hands over to the operator as a discharge.

Once the employer has issued the work stoppage notice, he may only resume work if he is in possession of a new de-energisation certificate.

The de-energisation certificate and the notice of cessation of work shall conform to a model laid down by an order of the Minister responsible for labour. Personal delivery of these documents may be replaced by the exchange of telephone or electronic messages recorded in a special notebook and read back, with the recording number, when the time taken to transmit a written document would excessively increase the duration of the…