Frequently Asked Questions - Electrical Condition Reporting

• Q1 -Can you advise as to the specific legal requirement regarding the necessity to carry out fixed wiring inspection & testing.
• A1 - Regulation 4(2) of the electricity at work regulations 1989 (Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974) requires that; "As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, such danger"
• Therefore there is no specific legal requirement to carry out such testing, however should an electrical incident occur involving injury or loss (life or property) the duty holder will be required to provide documented evidence that his duty has been discharged & that such systems have been adequately maintained - the provision of an electrical condition report completed to a satisfactory overall assessment within the past five years together with ongoing maintenance documentation could be provided as such evidence, the Health & Safety Executive or your insurance company would make the final decision.

• Q2 - I have heard horror stories from other business owners that an electrical inspection always requires the existing installation to conform with the current edition of the wiring regulations, the cost of this would be prohibitively expensive as our installation dates from the 1970's
• A2 - This is not true - the purpose of an electrical condition report is to determine, so far as is reasonably practicable, whether the installation is in a satisfactory condition for continued service - Not full compliance with the current edition of the IET wiring regulations being BS7671: 2008 as amended 2011 (Coming into effect on 1st January 2012).

• Q3 - Is it possible to test & inspect a sample of circuits only.
• A3 - Yes dependant upon the records that you hold for the installation, however should such sample testing expose faults within these sampled circuits, further testing & inspection will be required above & beyond the agreed sample quantity.

• Q4 - How often should the installation be inspected & tested.
• A4- The Institution of Engineering and Technology  (IET) recommend the following "maximum intervals"
• Commercial, Educational, Offices & Shop Installations - Change of occupancy - 5 years
• Industrial installations - 3 years

• Q5 - What can we expect from the company if we are unhappy with the service provided.
• A5 - We are confident that the service we provide will exceed your expectations, however things occasionally do go wrong, we will therefore investigate any concern that you forward to us in writing within 3 years from the date that the service was provided.