Planning safe electrics for your outdoor event
Posted on 8th November 2023
The MSE team was proud to sponsor this year’s free fireworks display at the Racecourse in Northampton.
We installed festoon lighting and illumination kindly supplied by Midshires Electrical. For added atmosphere there were also additional colour changing uplighters and floodlights throughout the event.
New to the Big Screen
New for this year there were also big screens showing a short film all about Northamptonshire’s heritage. ‘A Northamptonshire Conspiracy’ was commissioned by Northampton Town Council. It takes a fresh look at our local connections with the Gunpowder Plot.
Northampton Film Festival recruited local talent to create a great story involving many locations involved in the origins of bonfire night across the county. They include Delapré Abbey, Rushton Hall and Ashby Manor House.
Planning the electrics for your outdoor events
Whether you’re planning a large or small outdoors event, there are some important things to think about to make sure all your electrics are safe.
Here’s a checklist for your temporary electricity supply:
make sure all the wiring is safely installed by a qualified electrician
protect your electricity supply with a residual circuit breaker (RCB)
use only connectors and cables suitable for outdoors and check that cable insulation is undamaged
position cables carefully so they aren’t damaged, for example, by doors opening and closing or people and vehicles crossing them
make sure cables won’t cause trips or other hazards
confirm generators have an electrical safety certificate and a safety fence.
You should check all your electrical equipment to make sure it’s safe, well maintained and suitable for outdoor use. Using rubber matting can protect cables from weather and prevent tripping.
Always bear in mind the overall electricity requirements for your event and the position of existing overhead power lines or buried cables. Confirm whether any electrical equipment has special power supply requirements. All your electrical installations and equipment must meet the Electricity at Work Regulations.
Share this post: