Frequently Asked Questions
On this page, you will find an overview of the most frequently asked questions.
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General questions
Ensuring electrical safety within a company is different everywhere. We take into account internal installations, who needs to work on those installations, risk factors, and so on. Do you want to know which legal obligations you must meet? Contact us; we will visit your site and map everything out, including solutions to avoid infringements and ensure full legal compliance.
That is certainly possible! An employee will review with you how your electrical installations are organized and what is required to receive a green light during an inspection. We prepare a clear report so that you know exactly which steps are necessary for a safe and compliant electrical installation. Contact us.
The added value of RelyOn lies in our extensive expertise in electrical safety, fire safety, and related legislation. We provide support with targeted advice on regulations and conformity, ensuring your installations fully comply with current laws.
Additionally, you can count on us for the preparation of technical dossiers, which play a crucial role in obtaining compliant inspection reports. During the inspection itself, we can act as a mediator and answer the sometimes complex questions from the inspector.
Finally, we possess the necessary licenses and specialized software for developing electrical diagrams and cable calculations.
RelyOn Electrical Services is part of RelyOn Belgium, which in turn is part of RelyOn Global, an international group founded in Denmark and active in more than 20 countries.
RelyOn Global is the market leader in safety and survival training and consultancy for professionals in critical sectors such as offshore, maritime, wind energy, electrical engineering, industry, construction, and utilities.
RelyOn Electrical Services focuses specifically on everything related to electrical safety. Because we are part of an international player, we can share knowledge and expertise worldwide, yet we remain a local organization with a hands-on mentality and approach.
Every accident attributable to the electrical installation must be reported on the website of the FPS Economy. When it concerns an accident with an electrical installation at a workplace, a report must also be made to the FPS ELSD.
It is, of course, important to map out the cause of the incident and to prevent future incidents. Therefore, it is recommended to perform a full audit of your company. Was a risk underestimated? Did your employees lack the necessary knowledge, leading to the incident? Do your electrical installations lack the required capacity? Contact us for this; we will look into it together.
RelyOn primarily focuses on organizations working with technical, industrial, or high-risk installations. Our services are of interest to:
- Installers of non-domestic electrical installations
- HR employees (training organization)
- Facility managers, prevention advisors, and technical managers in industrial environments.
Risk analyses
Our electrical engineer, together with the technical manager in your company, will review the electrical distribution boards and prepare a risk analysis for each board. Once this is done, a visual inspection follows, and the engineer will perform several measurements to rule out any hidden risks.
The risk analysis is entered immediately on a tablet, making it available very shortly after the visit.
That depends entirely on the number of electrical distribution boards in your company. Would you like to request a quote? In that case, we will always ask for the inspection report or an overview of the electrical boards. We can then estimate how much time we will need for a risk analysis.
Your employees will experience little to no disruption from our presence. We work fully autonomously and do not jeopardize the continuity of your operations. It is also not necessary for us to switch off the electricity to perform our work.
That depends on the number of distribution boards present in your company. Feel free to provide us with an overview (or an inspection report), and we will make a customized proposal. Contact us without obligation.
A risk analysis remains valid indefinitely (Code on Well-being at Work Book III – Title 2). However, a new risk analysis is required when:
- The electrical installation has been modified
- A change in legislation has been implemented
- There was a change in working conditions (new technologies, new procedures…)
According to the Code on Well-being at Work (Book 3 – Title II), a risk analysis of the electrical installation is indeed mandatory.
Furthermore, Section 9.1.1 of Books 1 and 2 of the AREI/RGIE states that the owner/operator of a non-domestic electrical installation must be in possession of a risk analysis. Read more here about the responsibilities and obligations for owners of electrical installations (training).
Electrical inspection
Infringements after inspection must always be resolved to remain compliant with legislation and to guarantee your employees a safe working environment. How quickly this must happen depends on the severity of the infringement. This is all stated in the inspection report.
Resolving infringements after inspection is part of our core service. Do you want to make your electrical installation compliant? We take care of the entire process for you, up to and including the inspection itself. Read more about it here.
Of course. An inspection is always a tense moment, and questions from the inspector can sometimes be complex. We are happy to apply our expertise and act as a mediator during the inspection. Also, if you feel you have received an unjustified comment in your inspection report, it is worth having it reviewed by our experts.
That depends on the type of installation. The AREI/RGIE states the following: for low-voltage installations, an inspection is valid for 5 years. Do you work with a high-voltage installation? Then an inspection is valid for only 1 year. For ATEX installations (installations in explosive atmospheres), an annual re-inspection is also mandatory.
It is important to know that you, as the owner or operator of the installation, are responsible for having these inspections carried out on time.
Are you unsure which inspection period applies to your installation? Contact us; we are always up to date with the applicable rules and standards.
Training courses
Every employee who directly or indirectly comes into contact with an electrical installation must be in possession of a BA4 (instructed person) or BA5 (skilled person) competency certificate.
By this, we mean both technical personnel who perform work on the installation and people who perform actions in the vicinity of the installation. Think, for example, of night shift workers who reset a circuit breaker, painters who remove sockets and switches from the wall, gardeners performing excavation work, and so on. Employees tasked with switching high voltage must also mandatory be in possession of a BA5 competency certificate.
At RelyOn Electrical Services, you can follow these – and many more – training courses, both at one of our locations and at your company. Who should follow which training depends entirely on the competencies and function of the person in question. All information about our training courses can be found here. Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Most of our training courses can be organized both at one of our locations (Ostend, Ghent, Mechelen, Turnhout, or Leuven) and at your company.
For some practical training courses, we need “practice installations” to perform the practical exercises. These training courses can only take place at our location in Ostend.
Our training courses are intended for anyone who comes into contact with electrical installations in a professional context. Domestic installations are not included. Our training courses are therefore not intended for private individuals.
As a general rule of thumb, a BA4/BA5 certificate is valid for 5 years.
In theory, it is the employer who determines the term for the expiration of the competency certificate. It is also the employer who is responsible for the knowledge of employees. When it comes to electricity, it is certainly necessary to update this knowledge every 5 years. Consider new legislation or new technologies entering the market. Electricity is not routine work. It is necessary to always be aware of the risks when working with electricity.
We are proud that our trainers can rely on years of experience in the field. They have built up expertise as installers, as designers of installations, or they have worked at recognized inspection bodies. The advantage of this is that they can provide a motivated and correct answer to all electricity questions asked during the course.
Cable calculations
Because a correct cable calculation can save lives.
The cable calculation shows whether the installation is correctly constructed and provides sufficient protection against indirect contact, short circuits, and overload, and it takes voltage drop into account. The calculation determines which cable section (thickness) is suitable to carry the electrical current without overheating, voltage loss, or safety risks.
A cable calculation is also important for the inspection. The recognized inspection body will request the cable calculations to make a correct judgment on the conformity of the installation.
To make a correct cable calculation, all kinds of parameters must first be mapped out: the length of the cables, the type, the installation method, which external influence factors apply… Do you not have this information available? Then we can collect this for you. As soon as all this data is available, we start the cable calculation.
Does your installation meet all requirements? Then you will receive a compliant cable calculation.
Are certain circuits not correctly designed? Then, in addition to the cable calculation, we will also provide you with a working document that your technical department can use. This describes exactly which adjustments must be made to achieve a compliant calculation. Do you have no internal technical staff? In that case, we work with a permanent partner who can do this for you.
Yes, no problem.
First, we determine what information is already available and what still needs to be investigated to perform the cable calculation. You can collect this information yourself or outsource it to one of our project engineers.
If it appears that your installation was not correctly dimensioned, we will provide you with an overview list of the shortcomings. In doing so, we clarify which matters lead to non-conformity and provide solutions to make the installation compliant and safe.
We perform cable calculations for both existing and new installations.
Yes, that is possible. We are brand-independent. Do you have a preference for a particular brand? We will provide you with a list of the correct types of circuit breakers that should be installed.