Electrical safety mats are vital pieces of protective equipment that provide you with protection from high voltages. Electrical safety mats must comply with certified industry standards, ensuring your protection. Electrical safety mats are also known within the industry as electrical insulation mats and switchboard matting.
When you are working with electricity in environments near machinery or live switchboard equipment with high voltages electrical safety mats must be used. If there is any danger of you coming into contact with high-voltage shocks and your health and safety is at risk it is important to use the proper safety matting.
What is an Electrical Safety Mat?
It is an electrically insulated rubber mat designed to protect you and those working with you from electrical shocks. It will not only protect you from live electrical equipment but from any faulty electrical equipment you work with.
Why do Electrical Safety Mats protect you?
Safety Mats provide insulation from earth contact ensuring you can work with live electrical equipment safely.
The right Electrical Safety Mat to use:
For the best protection available, choose safety matting based on the working voltage within your working environment. The higher the voltage the greater the protection required. Ensure the electrical safety mat you use is subject to the British Standards Institute (BSI)
Recognised Industry Standards:
IEC61111 2009, BS EN61111 2009
A colour coded label is attached to the safety mat providing information on the class of mat, a reference, the manufactured date and the working voltage. A certificate of conformity included. If you are using an older BS921 mat it has a continuous strip on the back with not as much information. If the mat has none of these then you cannot guarantee it is a genuine safety mat and is not safe to use.
BS EN61111 Mat Class:
• Mat Class 0 = 1000 V Maximum working voltage = Colour coded Red
• Mat Class 1 = 7500 V Maximum working voltage = Colour coded White
• Mat Class 2 = 17000 V Maximum working voltage = Colour coded Yellow
• Mat Class 3 = 26500 V Maximum working voltage = Colour coded Green
• Mat Class 4 = 36000 V Maximum working voltage = Colour coded Orange
Various safety mat sizes and thickness are available with a choice of colours and surface types. You have the option to add to the safety by choosing an Anti-slip mat.