Electrical accreditation is the recognition, by the company, of the ability of personnel placed under its direction to carry out, in safety with regard to electrical risk, the tasks assigned to it. The worker’s authorization is not directly linked to his hierarchical position, nor to his professional qualification.
The issuance of an authorization by the employer is not enough to release him from his responsibility.
The employer is required to comply with all the rules of the labor code governing the design and use of electrical installations.
Authorization does not, on its own, allow a holder to carry out operations on his own initiative for which he is authorized. He must also be appointed by his employer to carry out these operations. The assignment to a workstation can be an implicit designation.
Field concerned by the electrical authorization
The authorization covers all acts of electrical and non-electrical order. Electrical acts can be carried out in the vicinity of bare live parts or on:
- a permanent or temporary electrical installation, as defined in Articles R. 4226-1 to R. 4226-3 of the Labor Code,
- an electrical energy distribution structure subject to Decree No. 82-167 of February 16, 1982.
Reminder: the NF C 18-510 standard indicates that an operation carried out on electrical installations which have never been energized does not require authorization from the worker (except in the case of proximity to other energized installations) . However, it is necessary to be vigilant with the provisional supply of installations in progress.
Electrical accreditation: The symbols
The NF C 18-510 standard defines the various authorization symbols according to, among other things, the voltage range (very low voltage and low voltage: LV and high voltage: HV) and the nature of the operation. The table below summarizes it.
| Voltage range | Other operations | |||||
| Consignment Officer | Responsible for intervention | Specific | Photovoltaic | Specials | ||
| Power off | BT | BC | BR BS | BE | – | B1X, B2X |
| HT | HC | – | HE | – | H1X, H2X | |
| Simple neighborhood | BT | BC | BR BS | BE | BPBR photoviltaïque | B1X, B2X |
| HT | HC | – | HE | HP | H1X, H2X | |
| Reinforced neighborhood | BT | BC | BR | BEB2V essai | BPBR photoviltaïque | B1X, B2X |
| HT | HC | – | HE | HP | H1X, H2X |
The authorization is symbolized in the conventional way by alphanumeric characters and, if necessary, an attribute:
- the 1st character indicates the voltage range concerned,
- the 2nd character indicates the type of operation,
- the 3rd character is an additional letter which specifies the nature of the operations
Système de classification des habilitations électriques
| 1st character | 2nd character | 3rd character | Attributes |
| B: low & very voltage H: high voltage | 0: non-electrical work 1: performing electrical operation 2: work manager C: consignment R: general LV intervention S: basic LV intervention E: specific operation P: operation on photovoltaic installations | T: work under voltage V: work in the vicinity of voltage N: cleaning under voltage X: specific | Test Verification Measurement Maneuver |
Choice of electrical authorization symbols
The choice of authorization must be made taking into account the work that will be entrusted to the employee and the electrical environment. The table below shows the corresponding symbols for the most common activities. For more details on the scope of symbols and associated limitations, refer to standard NF C 18-510.
| Activity | Symbol |
| No electrical operation is carried out but access to areas or locations with specific electrical risk (access reserved for electricians). Workers: painter, mason, locksmith, cleaning agent … not carrying out circuit breaker reset, no lamp replacement, fuse … but only painting, masonry work … | B0H0, H0V |
| Basic intervention on terminal circuits (maximum 400 V and 32 A alternating current) Types of operations: – replacement and connection of water heaters, convectors, roller shutters, etc., – replacement of LV fuses, reset of protections, – replacement at identical to a lamp, a socket outlet, a switch, – connection (dominoes, etc.) on standby, – resetting of a protection device Workers: building security guard, heating engineer, plumber , painter … | BS |
| Operation of electrical equipment to reset a circuit breaker, thermal relay, etc., switch off or switch on equipment or an installation. Workers: IT specialists, security guard, production staff, etc. carrying out only this type of operation. | BE maneuver HE maneuver |
| General maintenance and repair work on circuits (max 1000 V and 63 A alternating current). Types of operations: – troubleshooting, malfunctions, – carrying out measurements, tests, maneuvers, – replacement of defective equipment (relays, etc.), – partial and temporary commissioning of an installation, – connection and disconnection in the presence of voltage (max. 500 V in alternating current) Workers: electrician confirms from the maintenance department, repairman, etc. | BR |
| Work on electrical works and installations Types of operations: – creation, modification of an installation, – replacement of a box, cabinet, – marking of the work area and verification of the proper execution of the work (only for the charge of), – etc. | Running B1, B1VH1, H1V Responsible for B2, B2VH2, H2V |
| Consignment of a work or an electrical installation. | BC, HC |
| Other operations such as tests, verifications, measurements, operations on photovoltaic installations, batteries, etc. | See CN 18-510 |
