Updated 30 July 2026
Three-phase supply work RAMS template
Twenty steps from confirming the supply boundary to controlled energisation and handover.
Method statement: three-phase supply sequence20 steps
- Record the equipment, circuits and areas included in the three-phase supply work, plus every item excluded from the job.
- Name the client, principal contractor, person controlling the installation, distributor, meter operator and person authorised to approve shutdown and energisation.
- Obtain the approved electrical design, distribution diagrams, supply information, equipment instructions, construction phase plan and site rules before work starts.
- Survey the intake, switchgear, distribution route, work area, access and escape route. Record damaged equipment, water, heat, dust, restricted space and combustible materials.
- Mark the ownership and work boundary on the drawing. Do not open, alter or remove seals from equipment controlled by the distributor or meter operator.
- Where the work makes or alters a connection to the distributor's network, obtain the distributor's agreement before that connection work starts.
- Identify every normal and alternative energy source, including generators, solar generation, battery storage, UPS equipment, interconnectors and control supplies.
- Agree the shutdown window, affected loads, essential services, temporary supplies and restart order with the people responsible for the premises.
- Prepare the switching and isolation plan. Identify the correct device, lock-off points, test points, retained supplies and person who controls each key.
- Check that the people carrying out switching, installation and testing have the knowledge or experience required for their assigned work, or suitable supervision.
- Set barriers and signs around the intake, switchgear and cable route. Keep unauthorised people away and preserve access to exits and emergency equipment.
- Stop affected plant through its normal controls, confirm shutdown permission and tell everyone who could restart, backfeed or depend on the supply.
- Cut off every identified source, isolate it, lock it off and retain control of the keys. Prove the tester, prove every relevant conductor dead at the work point and prove the tester again.
- Apply the planned precautions against reconnection, induced voltage, stored energy and backfeed. Stop if the drawings, labels, switching state and test results do not agree.
- Check the approved design and manufacturer instructions before installing conductors, containment, switchgear, protective devices, earthing and bonding.
- Install and terminate the equipment to the approved design. Use the specified conductor identification, connection arrangement, fixings and manufacturer settings.
- Inspect the completed work and carry out the planned dead tests before any energisation request. Record results and resolve defects against the design.
- Clear tools, temporary earths where used, loose materials and people from the danger area. Replace covers and guards, then account for every key and permit.
- Energise only under the agreed switching plan and authority. Work on or near a live conductor only when all three conditions in regulation 14 are met and suitable precautions prevent injury.
- Complete the functional checks and hand over the drawings, circuit identification, test results, settings, certificates, operating information, defects and work left incomplete.
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What does a reviewer check before three-phase supply work?
| Question | What the provision says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| QuestionWho agrees a connection to the distributor's network? | What the provision saysNo person may make or alter that connection without the distributor's agreement, unless agreement has been unreasonably withheld. | WhereESQCR 2002, reg 25 |
| QuestionWhat does electrical isolation mean? | What the provision saysSecure disconnection and separation from every source of electrical energy. Suitable means of isolation and circuit identification must be available where necessary to prevent danger. | WhereEAWR 1989, reg 12 |
| QuestionWhat prevents the supply becoming charged again? | What the provision saysAdequate precautions must prevent equipment made dead from becoming electrically charged during the work if danger may arise. | WhereEAWR 1989, reg 13 |
| QuestionWho may carry out the work? | What the provision saysA person whose technical knowledge or experience is needed to prevent danger or injury must have it, or work under supervision appropriate to the job. | WhereEAWR 1989, reg 16 |
Follow the construction phase plan and coordinate the shutdown under CDM regulation 15. The system and each work activity must meet EAWR regulation 4. Under regulation 14, live work requires all three statutory conditions; the supply being three-phase does not remove that test. HSE's 2014 HSG85 guide records around 1,000 electrical accidents at work each year, about 25 fatal.
Where does the supply boundary sit?
Mark who controls each item before work. Network, meter and installation equipment can have different owners and permissions.
Which supply values come from the approved design?
The approved design sets the supply characteristics, ratings, protection, conductors, earthing, settings and test values. The download is a general electrician RAMS.