1. Policy Statement

Manchester Electrical & Co Ltd ("the Company") is committed to the health, safety, and professional presentation of all its employees. This Policy establishes mandatory obligations in respect of the wearing, maintenance, and return of Company-issued Uniform and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with particular regard to the specific risks associated with electrical installation, testing, and maintenance work.

2. Scope & Application

This Policy applies to all personnel engaged by Manchester Electrical & Co Ltd (Company No. 12340811), including but not limited to:

• Permanent and fixed-term employees
• Agency and temporary workers
• Apprentices and trainees
• Contractors and sub-contractors operating on Company or client premises
• Any individual representing the Company in an official capacity

3. Legislative Framework & Legal Basis

This Policy is established in compliance with the following legislation and statutory instruments:

Legislation / Regulation	Relevance to this Policy
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974	Primary duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees.
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989	Requires precautions to be taken against the risk of injury from electricity in the course of work activities, including safe isolation and the use of suitable protective equipment.
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended by PPER 2022)	Employer obligation to provide suitable PPE to employees exposed to health and safety risks. PPE must be suitable, maintained, and used correctly.
Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999	Requires employers to conduct suitable and sufficient risk assessments and implement appropriate control measures, including PPE provision.
Work at Height Regulations 2005	Requires employers to ensure work at height is properly planned, supervised, and carried out using appropriate equipment, including fall protection PPE.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)	Relevant where PPE interacts with work equipment, tools, and machinery used in electrical installation work.
Employment Rights Act 1996	Governs lawful deductions from wages, including in respect of unreturned Company property.
Equality Act 2010	Requires the Company to make reasonable adjustments to Uniform/PPE requirements where a disability or protected characteristic is relevant.

4. Employer Obligations

Manchester Electrical & Co Ltd hereby commits to the following obligations:

4.1 Provision of Uniform and PPE

• The Company shall provide, at no cost to the employee, all Uniform and PPE items deemed necessary following a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the relevant role and working environment.
• All PPE provided shall conform to the relevant British Standards (BS EN) and/or CE/UKCA marking requirements applicable at the time of issue.
• The Company shall ensure that all PPE is appropriate to the risks identified — including electric shock, arc flash, and falls from height — fits the individual employee correctly, and is compatible with any other PPE required to be worn simultaneously.

4.2 Training and Information

• The Company shall ensure that all employees required to wear PPE receive adequate instruction and training in its correct use, fitting, adjustment, and storage, including training in safe isolation and live working procedures where relevant.
• Employees shall be made aware of the risks against which the PPE provides protection, the reasons for its mandatory use, and the actions required in the event of damage or loss.

4.3 Maintenance and Replacement

• The Company shall maintain all PPE in good working order and in a satisfactory hygienic condition.
• The Company shall ensure that defective or damaged PPE — including insulated gloves and fall protection equipment — is replaced promptly and that no employee is required to work without adequate protection pending replacement.
• Appropriate storage facilities for PPE shall be provided at each workplace.

5. Employee Obligations

5.1 Mandatory Wearing of Uniform and PPE

• Employees must wear solely the Company-issued Uniform and PPE during all working hours, whilst on Company premises, client sites, or at any time when acting in any capacity as a representative of the Company.
• The wearing of PPE is not optional. Refusal to wear required PPE — particularly insulating gloves during live working or a harness when working at height — is a serious disciplinary matter and may result in the employee being removed from the workplace without pay pending investigation.
• Employees are expressly prohibited from wearing Uniform or PPE not officially issued or approved by the Company, or from modifying PPE in any manner that may impair its protective function.

5.2 Care and Maintenance

• Employees are responsible for maintaining all issued Uniform and PPE in a clean, presentable, and serviceable condition throughout the course of their employment.
• Employees must report any defect, damage, loss, or deterioration of PPE — in particular insulated gloves, test equipment, or harnesses — to their line manager or a designated Health & Safety representative immediately upon discovery.
• Employees must not attempt to repair, modify, or interfere with PPE without explicit written authorisation from a competent person.
• Wilful damage to, or misuse of, Company-issued Uniform or PPE shall constitute a disciplinary offence and may result in the employee being liable for the cost of replacement.

5.3 Storage

• Employees must store all PPE in accordance with manufacturer instructions and in the storage facilities provided, when not in use.
• PPE must not be taken off-site without prior management authorisation, except where required for the performance of authorised off-site duties.

6. Return of Uniform & PPE Upon Cessation of Employment

• All items of Company-issued Uniform and PPE must be returned to the Company in good and serviceable condition (subject to fair wear and tear arising from normal authorised use) no later than the final day of employment.
• All Uniform and PPE items remain the sole property of Manchester Electrical & Co Ltd at all times. The employee holds no proprietary interest in any such items.
• Failure to return Uniform or PPE, or the return of items that have been wilfully damaged or that show signs of misuse, shall entitle the Company to take one or more of the following actions:

1.	Deduct the replacement cost of unreturned or wilfully damaged items from any outstanding wages, holiday pay, expenses, or final salary payment, strictly in accordance with the Employment Rights Act 1996 and subject to any applicable written deduction authorisation.
2.	Pursue civil recovery proceedings against the former employee for the value of any unreturned or damaged items, including associated legal costs where recoverable.
3.	Report the matter to the relevant authorities where the unreturned items constitute a health and safety risk or where theft is suspected.

7. PPE Requirements by Role Category

The following table sets out the minimum PPE requirements by role category. Role-specific PPE requirements are determined by risk assessment and may be updated from time to time. Employees will be notified of any changes.

Role Category	Minimum PPE Requirements
Electricians / Electrical Installation Engineers	Safety footwear (steel-toe cap, S3 rated, non-conductive sole where live work is possible), insulated gloves (rated to the voltage being worked on, tested and in date), safety glasses (EN166), flame-resistant / arc-rated clothing where arc flash risk is identified, insulated hand tools (VDE rated), hard hat (EN 397) where required on site, hi-vis vest on construction sites.
Live / Energised Working (where unavoidable)	Voltage-rated insulating gloves with leather over-gloves, arc-rated face shield and flame-resistant clothing appropriate to the calculated incident energy, insulated tools, non-conductive footwear. Permitted only where de-energisation is not reasonably practicable, in accordance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and a specific risk assessment / permit to work.
Testing and Inspection Engineers	Safety footwear (S3), insulated gloves appropriate to the test being performed, safety glasses, voltage-rated test equipment and probes (CAT-rated to the installation), hi-vis vest where on a construction or live site.
Cable Installation / First & Second Fix	Safety footwear (S3), cut-resistant gloves, safety glasses (drilling, cutting, chasing), dust mask (FFP2 minimum) when chasing walls or cutting masonry, hearing protection (EN 352) where power tools generate high noise levels, hard hat where required on site.
Working at Height (Ladders, Scaffold, MEWPs)	Hard hat with chinstrap, safety footwear (S3), full body harness (EN361) and lanyard where working from a MEWP or any platform with a fall risk, hi-vis vest, tool lanyards / tethering to prevent dropped objects.
Switchgear / Panel / Distribution Board Work	Insulated gloves rated to the system voltage, arc-rated face shield and clothing where arc flash risk has been assessed, safety glasses, non-conductive footwear. Isolation and lock-off (LOTO) procedures must be followed before any panel is opened wherever practicable.
Van Drivers / Mobile Engineers	Company uniform, hi-visibility jacket when outside the vehicle or on a customer site, safety footwear appropriate to the site being attended. Compliance with site-specific PPE requirements at customer locations.
Office / Administrative	Company-branded uniform where applicable. Full operational PPE (hi-vis, safety footwear at minimum) required on entry to any workshop, site, or live installation area.

8. Uniform Standards

The following standards apply to the wearing of Company Uniform at all times:

• Company Uniform must be worn in accordance with the guidelines issued at the time of provision.
• Uniform must be clean, pressed where appropriate, and in good repair at all times during working hours.
• Personal clothing worn beneath or alongside Company Uniform must not be visible in a manner that detracts from a professional appearance, unless expressly permitted.
• Employees must not alter, deface, or add to Company Uniform without written management approval.
• Company logos, branding, and emblems must not be obscured or defaced.
• Employees must not wear loose clothing, jewellery, metal watches, rings, or accessories when working on or near electrical installations, as these present a serious electrical contact and entanglement hazard.
• Where the Company issues branded outerwear, this must be worn in preference to personal outerwear when on duty or representing the Company.

9. Reasonable Adjustments & Equality Considerations

The Company recognises its obligations under the Equality Act 2010. Employees who believe that a Uniform or PPE requirement disadvantages them due to a disability, medical condition, religious belief, or other protected characteristic are invited to raise this with their line manager or the Human Resources department.

The Company will give full consideration to any reasonable adjustment request and will endeavour to provide an alternative solution that meets both the individual's needs and the applicable health and safety requirements. No adjustment will be permitted where it would materially compromise the health and safety protection afforded by the PPE concerned, particularly where electrical or fall-from-height risks are involved.

10. Non-Compliance & Disciplinary Consequences

Failure to comply with the requirements of this Policy will be treated as a disciplinary matter and may result in the following action, depending on the severity and frequency of the breach:

First instance / minor breach	Verbal warning and restatement of obligations. Record placed on personnel file.
Repeat or wilful breach	Formal written warning in accordance with the Company's Disciplinary Procedure.
Serious / persistent breach or refusal	Final written warning or dismissal, up to and including summary dismissal for gross misconduct, in accordance with the Company's Disciplinary Procedure.

Nothing in this Policy limits the Company's right to take immediate action, including exclusion from the workplace, where non-compliance presents an immediate risk to health and safety — in particular, any instance of live working without correctly rated PPE or working at height without fall protection.

11. Policy Review & Governance

This Policy shall be reviewed annually, or sooner in the event of:

• Changes to applicable legislation or statutory guidance
• Material changes to the Company's operations, workforce, or risk profile
• A significant PPE or Uniform-related incident
• Feedback from employees, health and safety representatives, or enforcement authorities

The review shall be conducted by the Company's Health & Safety function in conjunction with Human Resources. Any amendments to this Policy will be communicated to all relevant personnel prior to implementation.

12. Governing Law

This Policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Nothing in this Policy shall limit or exclude any statutory rights of employees under applicable employment or health and safety legislation.

I, the undersigned, confirm that I have received, read, and fully understood the Manchester Electrical & Co Ltd Staff Uniform & PPE Policy (Document Ref: MEC-UK-PPE-001). I agree to comply with all obligations set out herein as a condition of my employment, and acknowledge that this Policy forms part of, and is to be read in conjunction with, my contract of employment.