BESC AME vs National Grid PERSON Substations: Which Do I Need?

Wondering which course you need – BESC AME vs NG PERSON?

If you need to get into a National Grid Electricity Transmission substation, you need the National Grid PERSON Substations course. If you need to get into a UK Power Networks (UKPN) or other distribution, Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) or private substation that asks for BESC AME, you need BESC AME Substation. They are not the same thing, and one does not stand in for the other.

I’ll be honest: this is one of the most common mix-ups we see in the office. Every week someone books BESC AME when their principal contractor actually wants a National Grid PERSON authorisation, or rings up asking for “NG BESC”. It’s an easy mistake to make, because both courses are about walking safely into a live substation, both last a day and both are valid for three years. But they’re run by different organisations, for different networks, and turning up with the wrong one means you don’t get through the gate.

So here’s the straight comparison, so you can book the right one first time.

The quick answer

Ask yourself one question: whose substation am I going into?

• A National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) substation → National Grid PERSON Substations
• A UK Power Networks (UKPN) or other distribution, Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) or private substation that asks for BESC AME → BESC AME Substation
• Not sure? Ask your site manager or principal contractor which card or authorisation they want to see at the gate, or give us a call on 01926 674340 and we’ll help you work it out before you book.

If you’re working on both networks, you will need both.

What is BESC AME Substation?

Basic Electrical Safety Competence – Access, Movement and Egress (BESC AME) is an assessment scheme run by the Energy & Utility Skills Register (EUSR). It proves you know how to get into a substation, move around it and get out again safely. It is not about doing the electrical work itself, such as jointing or switching.

Since 1 January 2025, UKPN has required BESC AME for anyone entering its substations, and other distribution, IDNO and private substations ask for it too. You need to pass the assessment for each type of work area you go into, so Substations and Overhead Lines are separate.

With us it’s a one-day course at our Stoneleigh Park training centre in Warwickshire, or on your site for groups. We train you up first and then assess you, with written and multiple-choice questions plus a practical assessment in a substation. We keep groups to a maximum of six per batch so everyone gets proper attention.

• Who runs it: EUSR scheme, delivered and assessed by approved providers like us
• Entry requirements: none formal, just a good understanding of spoken and written English
• Bring: photo ID, plus your own flame-retardant one-piece overalls (two-piece is not accepted), safety boots, hard hat, gloves and safety glasses
• You get: EUSR BESC AME Substation registration and an EUSR card, valid for three years, plus a Certificate for Substation Entry. Please note the certificate is not UKPN’s own substation entry authorisation, but a number of IDNOs ask for it to show to their National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS) auditors
• Price: £355 + VAT per person

What is National Grid PERSON Substations?

National Grid PERSON Substations is National Grid’s own authorisation for getting into its transmission substations under the National Grid Safety Rules. A “Person” is the first rung on the National Grid ladder. It lets you enter a substation and recognise the hazards, but not carry out switching or earthing; that comes later with Competent Person and Authorised Person.

The course is delivered by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) itself, and only at Eakring in Nottinghamshire. It can only be booked direct with National Grid or through the National Grid booking portal by an approved provider, which is where we come in: we book it for you.

It’s a one-day course: classroom training on substation equipment, hazards and the Safety Rules, Computer Based Training (CBT) on substation knowledge and the dangers of impressed voltage, then a practical health and safety assessment in the training substation. You have to pass both parts.

• Who runs it: National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET)
• Entry requirements: you must already hold a health and safety card or passport, such as EUSR Safety, Health and Environmental Awareness (SHEA), CITB Health and Safety Awareness (HSA), CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) or Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS), an Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) or First Aid at Work (FAW) certificate, a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) or Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) card, an ECITB CCNSG Safety Passport, IOSH Working Safely or a NEBOSH certificate (we run several of these ourselves)
• Bring: photo ID, plus your own flame-retardant overalls or two-piece, gloves, safety glasses, hard hat and laced safety boots with toe and midsole protection
• You get: National Grid Person (Substations) authorisation, valid for three years
• Renewal: a half-day online renewal course, which also re-registers you on EUSR

The four safety distances and the definition of a Person come up every time, so it pays to know them before you go to Eakring.

Side by side

Common questions

I’ve got BESC AME. Can I go into a National Grid substation?

No. National Grid sites work under the National Grid Safety Rules and want to see your National Grid PERSON authorisation. BESC AME is a different scheme for different sites.

I’ve got National Grid PERSON. Does that cover UKPN?

Don’t assume it does. Each network owner sets its own entry rules, so check with UKPN or your principal contractor before you turn up. If they ask for BESC AME, that’s what you need.

Someone told me to book “NG BESC” or “BESC AME Subs”. Which is it?

This is exactly where the confusion starts. Over the years the National Grid course has been called NG Person, NG Persons and a few other names, and people often mix it up with BESC. If the job is on a National Grid site, it’s almost always National Grid PERSON Substations they mean. If in doubt, ring us before you book.

I’m working near overhead lines, not in a substation.

Both schemes have a separate overhead lines version: BESC AME Overhead Lines and National Grid PERSON Overhead Lines. A substation card doesn’t cover overhead lines, or the other way round.

My National Grid PERSON is about to run out.

You can renew with the half-day National Grid PERSON Substations Online Renewal while your authorisation is still valid. Don’t leave it until the last week.

What comes after National Grid PERSON?

If you’ll be switching, isolating or applying earths, the next step is Competent Person. Our Pre-Competent Person course gets you ready for the National Grid Competent Person Substations (NSI 6 and NSI 8) course.

Booking with Pragmatic

We can sort out either course for you, so you don’t have to work out the booking routes yourself.

• BESC AME Substation: call us on 01926 674340, email support@pragmatic-consulting.co.uk or book online on the course page, with dates running most weeks at Stoneleigh Park. Groups of six or more can have it on their own site.
• National Grid PERSON Substations: call us on 01926 674340 or email training@pragmatic-consulting.co.uk and we’ll book you onto a date at Eakring through the National Grid portal. If you don’t yet hold a health and safety card, we can get that done first with EUSR SHEA or CITB HSA.
• Nervous about the National Grid assessment? Ask us about our half-day Pre-Person session. It covers the safety distances, the definition of a Person and the questions that catch people out.

Still not sure which one you need? Ring us before you book. Two minutes on the phone is a lot cheaper than a wasted day and a refused gate.

Further reading

• Mastering electrical safety: a guide to BESC:AME substation training
• Understanding EUSR BESC AME for Substations
• Understanding National Grid training
• Are you a NERS registered company under LRQA?