Legislation – health and safety

Existing safety rules and legislation for hybrid and electrical cars

The general situation of the market for EV’s and hybrid vehicles in the three countries and one involving the safety standards in different professional fields in the three countries.

Spain

Existing safety rules and legislation for hybrid and electrical

Today, in Spain there is no individual qualification for an operator of a workshop on handling and repair of hybrid and electric vehicles.

Despite not having a policy of prevention of electrical risks adapted specifically to electric vehicles, manufacturers are governed by the regulations in force to meet the specifications required by the Law on Prevention of Occupational Risks.

  • Law 31/1995 on Prevention of Occupational Risks transposition of the Framework Directive 83/391 is collected. Article 20 of this law states that all employers are obliged to analyze the possible emergencies that may arise in your company and to adopt, among other measures, which, in first aid, reveal that analysis and have the means that marks prevention regulations for first aid assistance in case of accident.

  • Minimum standards for the protection of the health and safety of workers from electrical risk provisions are contained in Royal Decree 614/2001, of June 8 (BOE, June 21, 2001).

Other applicable regulations are

  • Royal Decree 486/1997, of April 14, laying down minimum safety and health are established in the workplace.
  • Royal Decree 486/1997, of 14 April, on signalling safety and health at work.
  • Royal Decree 773/1997, of May 30, on personal protective equipment.
  • Royal Decree 1215/1997, of July 18, on work equipment

And finally

The UN / ECE Regulation No 100 UONU approval of electric vehicles recognized as dangerous vehicles those with voltages between:

  • 60V-1500V DC
  • 30V-1000V AC

Police / Rescue services

Spanish Police: No guide available specifically for police working in traffic. In Basque Country police staff is beginning to work according to the guidelines from the Sueskola Foundation.

Spanish ambulance service

To be found out

Spanish Fire Brigade

Work according to the guidelines from the SUESKOLA. It is a Training Center Fire Prevention and Fire, which uses an innovative technology with real fire, making it a pioneer in Basque Country and the rest of the state.

Visit Sueskola website.

Roadside assistance

The two main entities roadside assistance, offers no special training to technicians roadside assistance.

RAC Race

RACC Race

Unique initiative is that DGT (National Traffic Agency) sent to owners of electric vehicles a distinctive identifying them as non-polluting.

Independent garages

Staff, mechanics and body-car technicians , from the independent garages in Spain are not prepared to work with safety protocols about hybrid and electrical vehicles. Main of these vehicles (98%) are sent to authorized dealers.

Only a few Technical Colleges, including San Viator Centre, deliver a basic course for professional in the automotive sector as well as a safety course for working with hybrid- and electrical vehicles inside adult continuous education.

There are no set standards or rules for the different chains of independent garages.

EuroTaller: to be found out

Bosch Car Service: to be found out

Authorized dealers

Each manufacturer of hybrid-electric vehicles provides an own guidelines for the authorized dealers across Spain.

This guidelines usually include

  1. Protocols to plug and unplug High voltage systems.
  2. Safety rules and Individual Protection Equipment.
  3. Levels of training for staff according to his function in the authorized dealer.

All staff from authorized dealers can also attend the safety course under branch.

Best practice

BMW: Two levels of qualification for workshop technicians. Staff has a qualification level to interpret signs and restricted areas, Level 2 allows work on high voltage systems, both disconnection and repair work.

Nissan: to be found out

Renault: Three skill levels:

  1. Anyone dealer.
  2. Car technicians and body-car .
  3. Specific technicians for disconnection and battery replacement.

Mercedes: to be found out

Schools / Educational staff

There are no guidelines or rules for teachers from automotive departments at technical colleges and other school systems.

The Department of Education does not detailed in nothing specific curriculum on safety standards in electric or hybrid vehicle.

Only it refers to the Law on Prevention of Occupational Risks mentioned in the first column of this document.

However, it would be normal procedure that teachers attend to courses on new electric and hybrid vehicles in service training programs funded by the education department. These let them to update protocols and index car for new models.

Vocational education:

In Basque Country all automotive students and apprentices will get a short safety course “Safety on hybrid- and electrical vehicles” designed by San Viator Center in collaboration with TKNIKA as part of their education as a mechanic or body car repair.

Denmark

Existing safety rules and legislation for hybrid and electrical

National legislation

In Denmark, there is no national legislation concerning safety rules for working with hybrid- and electrical vehicles. Dansk Teknologisk Institut (DTI).

(The Danish Technological Institute) is a self-owned and not-for-profit institution. They develop, apply and disseminate research- and technologically-based knowledge for the Danish and International business sectors.

January 2016 DTI published a guideline for working with and handling hybrid- and electrical vehicles. The guideline commissioned by Industriens Branchemiljøråd (environmental council for industry, the guideline is available at the link below

Sikkerhedsstyrelsen (SIK)

The Danish Safety Technology Authority has no guidelines or legislation for professionals working with hybrid- and electrical vehicles.

The have published a few guidelines for owners of hybrid- and electrical vehicles regarding charging and cables.

In March 2014

Håndværksrådet

(Branch organization for small and medium sized companies) published the results of a survey about hybrid- and electrical vehicle in automotive workshops. The survey shows that the majority of the independent workshop feel that they have the relevant safety competences amongst their staff and that they can easily adjust to new type of vehicles by following the manufactures’ guidelines available at the link below

Best practice

The best national guidelines for working with hybrid- and electrical vehicles are provided by Danish Emergency Management Agency. The guideline can be found at link below.

Police / Rescue services

Danish Police:

No guide available specifically for police working in traffic. Police staff must like the Danish Fire Brigade work according to the guidelines from the Emergency Management Agency in Denmark.

Danish ambulance service:

To be found out

Danish Fire Brigade:

Work according to the guidelines from the Emergency Management Agency in Denmark. All staff from Danish state institutions working with the automotive sector or public traffic can also attend the safety course under the AMU-system. ( see description below)

Roadside assistance:

Dansk Autohjælp: to be found out

Independent garages

Staff, mainly mechanics, from the independent garages in Denmark are regular course participants in the courses under the AMU-programme for adult continuous education. Technical Colleges deliver a variety of technical courses for professional in the automotive sector as well as a safety course for working with hybrid- and electrical vehicles ( see description below).

There are no set standards or rules for the different chains of independent garages.

Mekonomen: to be found out

AutoMester: to be found out

Authorized dealers

The branch organization for authorized dealers, Industriens Branchemiljøråd, has commissioned a guide. See link below.

In addition, the car import centres in Denmark provide guidelines from the manufacturers for the dealers across Denmark.

All staff from authorized dealers can also attend the safety course under the AMU-system. ( see description below)

Best practice

Nissan: to be found out

Renault: to be found out

BMW: to be found out

Schools /Educational staff

There are no guidelines or rules for teachers from automotive departments at technical colleges and other school systems. However, it would be normal procedure that teachers attend for example the safety course “safety on hybridand electrical vehicles” under the AMU-programme before working with the subject of hybrid- and electrical vehicles and battery technology in their teacher job.

Vocational education:

All automotive students and apprentices will get a safety course “Safety on hybrid- and electrical vehicles” as part of a module about hybrid and electrical vehicles in their education as a mechanic ( EQF level 4).

Safety course available for all professionals in the automotive sector, private and public:

“Safety on hybrid- and electrical vehicles”, a course for professionals under the programme for continuous qualification training provided by technical colleges like SDE College or AMU-schools (AMU- Labour Market Courses under Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour Market). This course was described and available in 2010.

England

Existing safety rules and legislation for hybrid and electrical

National legislation

No specific national legislation is in place for working on Hybrid or Electric vehicles.

The UK Health and Safety Executive recommends that all those working on or with such systems undertake training.

Employers may be prosecuted by HSE or individuals if they are found guilty of not providing suitable care for workers under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Often referred to as HASAW or HSW, this Act of Parliament is the main piece of UK health and safety legislation. It places a duty on all employers “to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work” of all their employees.

Police / Rescue services

In the UK, Emergency services are seeking their own training by region.

Many fire crews and police officers have sourced training with a local college or training provider with no real national focus or drive from Government.

Independent garages

No legislation or common safety rules in place. The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) recommends training and are talking with UK Government to pass Law that you must be qualified to work with High Voltage vehicles. However this looks unlikely to come into force in the near future.

Authorized dealers

All authorised dealerships in the UK with an EV Range are providing model specific training to the technician network as new models are released on the UK market.

Dealerships are not permitted to allow unskilled or untrained technicians to work on such systems without having passed the course.

Schools / Educational staff

UK College staff delivering Automotive are required to complete 15 – 30 hrs Continues professional development per year. Hybrid and Electric vehicle training can be part of that training.

Hybrid and EV topics are not yet part of the curriculum being taught to our students at College so many staff members are not focusing on the need for CPD in those areas.